The Crystal Senshi
by Savagekitty
Summary: Three Americans and one Canadian find they are Guardian Senshi. But can they beat an enemy they thought was only in Manga? Edited by popular demand! 102806
1. Chapter One

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter One

Remembering the Beginning

Her alarm clock woke her up rudely and as she pounded the damnable button to make it stop its loud whining, she actually saw what time it was. She was going to be late. Catherine, also known as Caty, cussed and rolled out of bed, looking for her pants. Her clock read 5 am, and she had to be at work by 6 am to open the small grocery store deli where she currently worked. She hated mornings, but somehow, she ended up opening every day until Saturday. She pulled her shirt on and buttoned it, as she went to the bathroom to brush her sleep furry teeth. She checked her watch, 5:29 am. She had good timing. She walked to work, since she didn't drive, even at 21 years, she didn't drive. She didn't really need to. She lived in a large city area in San Diego California. It was a 15 minute walk and as she grabbed an apple for breakfast, the chubby brunette left her home for work.

Work crawled by so slowly, she thought she was going to have to put a chicken leg to her eye and push to make time go faster. Or at least make work more interesting. Three o'clock finally came and she grabbed her purse and sunglasses, heading home. Saying goodbye to the people she was friendly with, she left the air conditioned store. Caty was noticeable on the street, she was six feet tall after all. Tall for a girl. Boys hadn't noticed her very much, she carried more weight then she needed in her middle and face, but she liked herself, which she knew counted. She left the shopping area where her store sat and walked along the sidewalk that ran along the canyon. It was more of a dry riverbed, sloping from one side down and back up to the other side.

It was such a nice day, clear blue skies and a perfect 76 degrees, she decided to take the long way home, cutting through the canyon that ran behind her house and the grocery store. She crunched on the rocky ground down the slope, it had been a dry winter, so the canyon was yellow with thirsty brush. She hoped there wasn't a fire this season. Caty was digging through her purse, looking for her headphones when she heard feet behind her. Nothing to get excited over, a lot of people used the canyon for dog walking. She stepped to the side to let the people pass, still digging in her purse. She pulled the headphones out and looked up. No one had passed her and the footsteps had stopped. She blinked a few times, "I'm going nuts." She muttered to herself and continued walking. She slipped the headphones on, turning her mp3 player on. The battery flashed low and it shut itself off. She cussed, thinking, hadn't I just put a new battery in this damn thing? She sighed, slipping the headphones off when she heard the footsteps again. She looked behind her, this was getting annoying. She walked a little faster and the steps behind her sped up. What was going on. She finally went to a full out run and as she looked behind her, slipped on a loose stone. She fell forward, trying to brace herself with her palms. She felt gravel dig into them as she hit her head on a large stone, the world swimming and finally, she blacked out.

* * *

Opening her eyes, her head thumped, making her feet a little sick. She sat up slowly, pushing the covers down. Her fan loudly whirring and circulating the hot air of her closed bedroom around her. Bedroom? She was sure it was her bedroom. Hospitals didn't have fans, and she could see the glass stars that hung from her ceiling, even if it was dark. She leaned over , turning on the light by her bed. She blinked the blinding light away, then gasped. Caty stared around her room. It was naked. It was so naked, she almost thought she was robbed until she saw two suitcases and a large box by her dresser. All her selves were bare, even her cluttered pin up cork board was naked, save for one parchment envelope. She closed her eyes, unsure of what was going on. There was a knock on her door and it opened, her father peeking in. Caty got her height and hair color from him, though he was slightly balding, he was still handsome,

"Youre awake, good. I thought you'd like to have a shower before you got ready to go."

She looked confused for a moment, even her clock was gone so she didn't know what time it was, so she asked. He said it was almost 7 Am and her flight would leave at eleven, though, they needed to leave early because of airport security. He shut the door and she blinked. Airport? Leaving? She flopped back down on her bed and covered her face with her sheet. This was a dream. One of the most real dreams she ever had, but a dream. She breathed out slowly and pulled the covers back. Her room was still naked and that weird envelope still stared at her. She sat up and pulled it off her board, opening it.

Congratulations Catherine!

You have been selected as one of the top students to be inducted into the Tokyo University Foreign Exchange Program!

Your tickets are included, and you will be met at the airport by your senior peer helper.

She read it over and over. It just gave a history of the program, the times and dates for her flights, and she might be meeting other peers in the program on the plane. She popped out of bed and went to the living room, "Is this a joke?"

Her father looked puzzled as he sat on the couch, watching cartoons, "What?"

"This, this letter and my room. It's a bad joke…"

"Cat, are you high or something? This has been in the works for months…" He looked at her puzzled as she looked at him horrified, "What?"

"Ok, I know what this is." Standing, he went to her and started pushing her towards her room, "You're afraid to leave, you are 21 years old, Cat, you need to leave the nest, see the world! Hell, you're brother is in the navy now. He left before you did." That old fight. She was a grownup and needed a life. She was happy with her life… kinda. She took a shower, still confused and got ready.

9 AM saw her at the airport, shuffling through security. She said goodbye to her father, still a little confused. Scared, yes, shitless, but the confusion was almost gone. She was leaving Americas for Japan. Somehow, she had her passport in her side bag, her ID, snacks, a lunch, books, her mp3 player. Everything she needed to travel. She shuffled through San Diego Airport and waited for her plane to LA. From La, she would go to Hawaii and from there, Japan. She finally got on the place, settling in, shock, first class. In the handful of times she had ever flown, she never got to sit in first class. It really was better. Roomier, the seat were super comfy and if she had a long flight ahead, this was where she wanted to be. She settled in and was ready for the flight. She didn't even have to change planes, which was convenient. The flight to LA was easy enough. She was the only one in first class, and the flight was short, not even a half an hour. More passengers shuffled on the plane, but she ignored them. Three people settled into first class and the plane took off. She, again, ignored them. She didn't like strangers, and being on a plane for so long with strangers made her stomach tighten. And it made it worse when someone sat next to her. There were ten other seats and someone sat next to her. She stared down at her book, trying to ignore them when the person grabbed her earphones and yanked them off. She looked up, startled and blinked.

The young girl looked back at her. She had long hair in a braid down her back, she looked young, her face just chubby enough to make any age think twice about settled in her features. Her eyes friendly brown. Her best friend from Virginia. Bonnie. Caty blinked again. She had lived in Virginia for 10 years and for 5 of those years she and Bonnie were like sisters. Caty moved to California with her parents when she was 19 and Bonnie went off to college. She was still in shock when another familiar face popped over the seat. Perky, small and blonde, Lauren smiled at her. The third in the trio, Lauren was the smallest. Caty blinked again, "What the hell?"

Bonnie laughed and settled back, "Well, Cat. We're just as confused as you are. Here." She passed the too familiar letter to Caty and Lauren scratched her head, her short hair moving slightly, though Caty didn't see how, it was so styled and processed. She shook that thought off and looked at the letter. "You got one too?" Bonnie nodded, "Lauren also. I didn't even apply." Caty took out her own letter,

"I'm not even IN college, I don't see ho-"

"Excuse me…"

A girl…a woman… stood in the aile, looking at them. Her hair was long and in a pony tail down her back, her hair laced with shades of red and pruple. She was slightly on the heavy side, but it didn't show in the way she carried herself. She was light, like Bonnie was. Caty blinked at her, she knew her from somewhere. The woman took out a letter from a pocket of her jacket, "I…have one too…"

"Erinchan…" Caty stood, but was jerked back by her lapbelt. She cussed and unbuckled it. She stood leaning over Bonnie, "Erin?"

The woman blinked, "Yeah?"

Caty smiled big, "Erinchan! It's me! Caty!" Erin blinked back then her smile grew, "Holy crap."

Bonnie looked up at the woman, "Huh?"

Caty looked at Lauren and Bonnie, "She's my friend from Canada. We've been talking over Messenger for like….5 years."

Erin smiled, "Hi."

"Erin, this is Bonnie and Lauren. They're my best buds from Virginia."

"Is it just me, or do we all have a connection through Caty?" Lauren asked, finally talking. Caty sat back down as Erin leaned over a seat by Lauren.

"Well, I don't know about that, but, we all got these weird ass letters. I know remember falling in the canyon behind my house, passing out, and waking up in my room, my bags packed."

Lauren's face scrunched in thought, "A horse kicked me."

Erin looked puzzled, "Horse?"

"My family owns a horse farm. I was brushing out one I had just rode and it kicked me. I woke up, bags packed."

Bonnie sucked on her back teeth, "I went home for the weekend, my room was empty and this letter was on my desk and a letter of transfer from VA Tech."

Erin looked at her own letter, "I slipped at the lake I live near. I fell in and almost… I was… drowning. I came to in my room."

Caty looked disturbed, "Our stories are too similar. I don't know about you guys, but this freaks me out."

Lauren nodded, "This is wiggy weird ass shit ok. But all we can do is find out what's at the end of the line."

* * *

Tokyo International Airport floated out in the middle of the ocean. It was so busy and cramped, that when the small group gathered their bags, they sat outside on the curb of the airport, slowly freaking out. A strange land, not knowing the language, no currency for the land, they were at their wits end. They were tired, hungry, and all wanted a shower from hours cramped on a plane with recycled air. Caty kept an eye out for anyone that might be looking for them. All their letters had said someone would be. Finally, Bonnie spotted a tall very handsome Japanese man holding a sign bearing their names. Caty volunteered to go to him. She fought through the crowd as the three woman watched as she spoke to him. They saw relief spread over her face as she came back to them, with him following.

"Guys, this is Mamoru."

The man had coal black hair, razor cut to flatter his face. All Japanese had black hair unless they dyed it, or at least dark hair. He was handsome. Handsome being an understatement. He wore dark blue jeans like they were apart of him, a white t-shirt and a tweed jacket. But his eyes. His eyes were crystal blue and seemed to search their souls. When he spoke, his English was perfect, with only a slight trace of accent,

"I'm sorry I'm late, ladies. I was held up. Are these your bags? Lets get them into the car and I can take you to your apartment."

They walked to the parking garage to a large black SUV. Mamoru loaded their gear into the back as the girl piled into the car. Somehow, Caty ended up in front. She wanted to know how that happened, but Mamoru was in and started the SUV. They pulled out and onto the road leading to the bridge back to mainland Japan. It would be an hour drive, Mamoru had said. So the girls in back fell asleep quickly. Caty watched the waters as they passed through light traffic over the bridge. They hit land and Caty watched greenery and flowers fade into crowded buildings and then back again. She also noticed Mamoru kept lancing at her in the rearview mirror. She couldn't quite tell the look he had through his sunglasses, but she knew it wasn't the kind of look a man gave an attractive woman. She finally looked at him, scouling, "What?"

"I'm sorry?" He was playing stupid.

"Why do you keept looking at me?" She hissed so not to wake her friends.

"I…" he sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just… I thought you were a myth…"

She raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what the hell he was talking about when his face opened up in surprise and he cut the wheel sharply, sendig the SUV into a spin on the highway. They ended up face traffic as they both turned in their seats, looking out the back.

The girls were startled awake and screaming about what had happened. Caty and Mamoru just stared, Caty, it seemed, more then Mamoru. Three miles or so ahead on the highway, the traffic had stopped and people were running, screaming, towards them. A twenty foot clown was picking up cars and tossing them like toys. Mamoru unbuckled his seatbelt, "Stay here and stay low!" He opened his door. Caty grabbed his arm, "What are you doing!" He looked at her, a look that would burn through steel. He removed his sunglasses, "I'm going to help." He slipped out of her hold and was gone. Caty swore she saw the end of a cape whip by the door, but she could have been wrong. She unbuckled her own seatbelt and opened the door. Erin leaned through the gap in the seat, "Caty! What the hell?"

Caty turned to her as she set feet on the high concrete, "I want to see what's going on."

She didn't know why she wanted to see what was happening. Deep down, it was like a kick to her stomach. She needed to. She crouched low along the side of the SUV and kneeled by the bumper. People ran by , women hugging children, men screaming into cell phones. Somewhere there were sirens. She blinked. A dark figure jumped around the monster, that had a car in one hand, and what looked like a woman in the other. She squinted, wishing she had better eyesight. There was a shake and she saw the clown thing, running towards her. Her and her friends. Her eyes widened behind her glasses and she stood. What happened next, she had no idea, because again, the world turned fuzzy and she blacked out.

* * *

She woke up, warm, but not too warm. A breeze came through the small window, blowing the curtains back. She sat up slowly, the room almost dark, save for a sliver of light from a doorway. She could hear voices through that doorway, just whispers in the wind. She ignored it for now. She looked around the room. It was still fuzzy and she knew why. She found her glasses on the night table next to the bed that sat on the raised platform. It was a bed that all typical Japanese had, a futon on the floor. But it was soft and comfortable. The room was simple, probably a guest room, just a desk, a painting on one wall, and the side table. The door opened and a small woman…no a girl… came in carrying a tray. She smiled at Caty and set the try on the table. Her light voice, speaking perfect English, seemed to match her small and fragile form,

"You're awake, good. Sooner then I had hoped. Here is a sandwich, peanut butter is alright I hope. Some aspirin, and milk to help settle your stomach. We are in the living room when you're ready. The bathroom is through this door." she bowed and left. When she hit the light, Caty swore her hair was blue. She stood and padded over to the desk, sitting in the chair. Her shoes were missing, and she was wearing a different shirt then what she wore on the plane. There was a rip in one leg of her jeans and yes, her head pounded. She nibbled the sandwich, not really that hungry, but drank all the milk before she discovered it was soy. She gagged, but was happy she took the pills before she drank the milk. She went into the bathroom, flipping the light. It blinded her for a moment before she saw herself in the mirror. She blinked. She blinked again and leaned into the mirror. Her hair. Her hair used to be short and brown. She had it cut to her jaw line, but now. It was to her shoulders and… it was a shade of dark red. Almost maroon. What had happened. Dark rings under her eyes. Her eyes! They had been a dark green, normal eyes no one noticed but now they were a deep and brilliant green that were piercing. She stumbled back, sitting on the toilet. She had bruises on her cheek, looking at her arms in the light, she had them there too and her knuckles where skinned. She washed her face. Another bad dream that didn't seem to go away.

She finally walked out to the living room. Bonnie saw the look on her face and got up from where she sat on the floor. She went to her friend and guided her to a spot on the couch between Erin and Lauren. Bonnie returned to the floor, sitting around the coffee table that was so low, Caty thought it was just a board on the floor. She also noticed they weren't alone. Mamoru sat on the other couch next to a girl that only looked about 17, maybe 18. Her hair was long and blonde. Probably dyed, Caty thought. Her eyes were blue as the sky. Her hair was in a strange style, two balls sat on top of her head, made of hair. Like a ponytail, two thich ropes of hair streamed from them down, over her shoulders and pools around her lap. Caty blinked,

"This can't be right…"

Laurne looked at Caty, "Are you ok? What can't be right?"

Caty leaned forward, looked from the blond to the next girl and the next in a clockwise motion, for they sat in a circle. A brunette with a high ponytail, little rose earrings at her ears, and a tough facial set but her eyes were soft. A raven haired girl with hard eyes. The blue haired girl with glasses and bookish demeanor. Another blonde holding a white cat in her lap. She looked back to the girl by Mamoru, "No… you… you're fiction…."

The girl smiled, sweetly, but didn't say anything. Another woman came from the kitchen, carrying a tray. She was small, as small as the blue haired girl. She was delicate, creamy white skin, her hair a foam to her waist of purple black hair. A tall man with shoulder length white hair followed with another tray. Caty's eyes widened. She looked at the white cat in the second blonde's lap back to the two people who just entered. They set the trays down, but remained standing, looking from Caty to Erin to Bonnie and then Lauren. They went back to Caty and the woman smiled,

"Welcome to Tokyo, Catherine. I am Luna, this is Artimus. You know who we are. It's time to know who you are."

Caty's eyes were as big as plates as she gripped Erin's and Lauren's hands, "You're fiction…"

Artimus smiled, "Until 5 months ago, Catherine, we thought you were too."

End Chapter One


	2. Chapter Two

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Two

Memory Gate

Everyone was quite, not really sure what to say. Lauren, Bonnie, Caty, and Erin; out of fear that these people were crazy and they didn't know what the hell they had gotten themselves into. The others because they wanted to see how these new girls reacted to the news. Luna cleared her throat,

"Well, the girls had already been introduced when they brought Caty up, so why don't I introduce her?"

Usagi nodded and smiled at Caty as Luna stood behind her, motioning to each girl she named. Makoto, Minako, Rei, and Ami.

Rei yawned, as if bored, "But she already knew who we are, don't you? Or at least you think you do." She seemed a little put out. Ami blushed at her friends tone, apologizing to Caty, "Rei-chan is a little… gruff sometimes. Please do not let it determine who she really is by her few first words to you."

"Ami-chan, I do not need you to apologize to me. Artemis told us about her. She read all the manga. She saw the ridiculous cartoon. And if I see one more doll…" She seemed to growl. Makoto sat up a little straighter, "I happen to like the dolls."

Bonnie wasn't sure what was going on, and she said so, "We were introduced, yes. But…"

Caty cut her off, her voice a little wheezy, "They are the Sailor Scouts."

"We actually prefer the term Sailor Senshi, thank you." Rei growled. That earned her a light smack on the arm from Minako, "Be nice."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, "That retarded cartoon you were obsessed with in middle school? God damn, Caty, you must have been hit harder then we thought on the highway."

Caty looked at Bonnie, "Highway?"

Luna bit her lip, "I think we are going out of order here." She sighed, thinking of where to start then nodded, " We will start with the past, I think. Knowing your past will help you understand your present and possibly your future." She fished out of her pockets, four necklaces. On them hung a pendant in the shape of a small star made of brightly colored crystal. She passed them out to each girl. Bonnie received the blue star, Lauren the red, Caty the green, and Erin the purplish one. Erin looked at it and smiled, "Amethyst… this is my birthstone."

"They are all our birthstones…" Lauren said, admiring the red of the ruby star, "These must have cost a fortune!"

"Actually, they were entrusted to us to be used by the Senshi Guard. The Crystal Senshi, as they were also known in the Moon Kingdom," Artemis said.

Caty looked up from the small star that was about the size of her thumb nail, "It's real?"

Luna smiled softly, "Let us tell the story. Then you will know…"

"Luna, I think it will be better if they see it…" Artemis said. Caty noticed the air in the room was thick, almost hard to breath. She looked at the man with the white hair and she feel power flowing off him as he closed his eyes. The air suddenly crackled with electricity and she saw him open his eyes just before the air exploded into bright light.

* * *

The four girls stood in a white mist. They were no longer in the apartment. How did they get here? Caty tried to speak, but she couldn't. She looked over at her friends, they too were puzzled and looking around. The area was endless, the horizon white with mist. Artemis walked from the mist, dressed in white. He seemed to have a silver breast plate on over a soft white jacket. The breast plate wasn't solid, but curved and curled over the jacket and in some places, glittered with what Caty swore was diamonds. His hair was tied back, allowing his handsome not so Japanese face stand by itself.

"Welcome to the Memory Gate. I am the keeper of this gate. I deem it necessary for you to remember your past lives, for the sake of the survival of this time and this space." A long staff of silver appeared in his hands. The top swirled into a tight circle, with a diamond in the center, the other end of the staff had teeth, like a key. He held it in one hand, setting the butt of it on the invisible ground. A gateway appeared behind him, as spirally as his breast plate. He waved towards it, and the gates opened slowly. Caty looked back at her friends then to the gate. She was curious. If this really was a dream, she might as well go along with it. But if it was a dream, why did she hurt like someone beat the hell out of her?

She started to walk towards the gate. She didn't look back, but she felt Erin and Bonnie follow. Lauren was last, and ran to catch up. She stopped at the gate, her toes at the very edge. She looked back at Artemis, nodded, then stepped through the gate.

* * *

"She's gone again, and her personal guards aren't due here for another three hours. I don't understand why they had to go home for holiday all at the same time." Amethyst stood with her hands on her hips, looking at her commander. The two women stood in a small room, two of the walls were giant windows overlooking the Moon Palace gardens. One wall was colored in mirrors that were actually magic. They would show the viewer anywhere in the palace that had been deemed viewable, and the last wall held the door to enter the door. In the middle was a simple dark oak desk that was currently covered in paperwork, maps, and a lamp. The commander, a woman who was not even 25, had fought in more battles then she cared to remember. Her name was Emerald, but she was known as Sailor Emerald. She had been born on Earth and then taken to the Senshi training planet at the age of three after she had been tested for the abilities the Senshi looked for. She knew little about her birth family, but as far as she was concerned, the Senshi was her real family.

She had not been able to attain the highest honor of senshi, planetary senshi, the guardians of their home planets, were the most powerful woman in the universe. Then came the star senshi, asteroid senshi, and then, her rank, the guardian senshi. She didn't mind. She worked hard for her position and she used it to make a difference. She had been called upon to command the guardian senshi of the Moon. She commanded 300 of the universes leading guardian senshi on the moon. Her four generals, Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, and Beryl, commanded 75 senshi each.

Why did so many senshi for this one solar system? Because of the Queen. The Queen of the Moon that orbited Earth. She and her family's line, had united this solar system to be the most peaceful and united planets in the universe. A feet no one could accomplish. It had started with Queen Serenity the Mighty. She had become queen only at the age of 16 and cut a bloody path through Jupiter and Mars, to bring them into her fold. She had been the first Senshi to ever rule a moon. Her daughter, Queen Serenity the Golden hearted didn't agree to her mother's bloody fist to unite planets, and using her diplomatic skills, brought Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto into the warm arms of the Moon Kingdom. The next Queen Serenity, like her mother, was not a Senshi. But she used the senshi she did have from Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune to bring Mercury and Venus. The next Serenity was Senshi, and she used her powers to bring in the dark planet of Saturn to the fold. Her daughter, the current Queen Serenity, known to her people as the Silver Flower, was currently working with Earth, to bring it to her united planets. And with Earth being admitted, she could usher in the Golden Millennium. She had only 20 years to do it before the next millennium started, and it was harder work then her senshi mother had, but she was born to hard work. Her daughter, the Princess Serenity, would wed the Earth prince. The other planets thought this union moot, for who would want the barbaric and undeveloped Earth in their ranks? But Serenity had plans. She wanted her Solar System to be peaceful, a model to the rest of the universe.

Emerald looked up at Amethyst, who wore the typical guardian senshi uniform, soft boots to her knees, a short skirt for movement, a black unitard like cover over her upper body, a sailor collar the cut down to a bow over her breasts with a gold pendant in the middle that held the star of her namesake. Her gloves came to her elbows with a slight trim at the top. Her once auburn hair was streaked with different hues of purple and red. It was held back by a headband, allowing it to flow down her back. Her skirt, bow, boots, and headband were a light shade of violet. Emerald's uniform looked the same, though hers was in a dark shade of green, so dark, it looked almost black. Ruby and Sapphire came in. Their uniforms matched their name sake's color. The guardian senshis uniforms were black, yes, because they were deemed low, the workers of the senshi order. The senshi these women commanded wore all black, no color to their uniform, save for three color bands on the bottom of their skirts, the tops of their boots, and the tops of their gloves, the bottom ring was green, marking their commander as Sailor Emerald, the middle ring the color of their general, be it red, purple, blue, or yellow for Beryl. And the last ring was silver, marking the guardian to the house of the Moon.

Emerald sighed as three of her four generals stood before her. Sapphire was about Emerald's height, just under 6 feet tall. Her dark brown hair was cut to her shoulders, but usually tied back at the base of her neck. Ruby was the shortest of them all at 5'2". Her blonde hair was cut into a stylish pixy cut and made to stand in spikes with red tips. Emerald looked at the watch she wore around her neck on a long chain, a present from a 'friend' of hers, "Ok, she probably snuck off to see Endymion. Ruby, have a couple of your squads search her usual hiding places. I will need to explain to her, AGAIN, that we are not her babysitters and address the Queen that the Princess's own guards should be on the Moon at all times. At least one anyway." She pushed away from the desk and stood her full height, which was very intimidating. She was pretty, but not a beauty. Her eyes, though, were. They were the brightest green anyone could be born with naturally. Almost to the point of lime green, but slightly darker. Her hair was long, past her bottom, and bright crimson red.

She walked past her generals and out into the hallway, all their boots making no sound on the hard marble floors, "Has anyone heard from Beryl yet?"

"No," Sapphire said as she read through a file she had taken from Emerald's desk, "We have people looking on Earth where she was suppose to be on vacation, but nothing's turned up."

Emerald chewed the inside of her mouth in frustration. Short one general when the Moon was about to be the center of the solar system. Well, it usually was the center of the attention of the solar system, but now they were being scrutinized because of the masked ball the night before Princess Serenity's wedding to the Earth prince. Beryl was a little hard to get along with, but she followed orders very well and did her job. Emerald's other generals were her best friends but Beryl… Beryl didn't want to be friends. She had went on a holiday, and had not come back yet. It had been almost two months, and if Emerald wasn't so busy putting together the last of her security and making sure the Kingdom was safe for the visiting dignitaries, she would had gone to look for her general herself. But she couldn't so here she was, one general short. She was going to fry Beryl's ass when she got in.

The small group headed for the throne room, Emerald would go in alone, after issuing orders to her remaining generals. They would reshuffle Beryl's troops to even out the other general's groups. Ruby's group would look for the missing Princess, which wasn't a hard job, she disappeared all the time, usually to sneak down to Earth to visit her love, Prince Endymion. Sapphire would go over the extra security precautions with her group, Amethyst would take hers and run the usual laps around the castle, the guard shift. Emerald saw her girls leave and then turned, entering the throne room, where the Queen talked quietly with her advisers, the handsome Artemis, who at one time vied for Emerald's affections before Luna, the small and fragile purplish black-haired woman to his right, had come to the moon. Emerald bowed to her Queen when she came upon the group, reporting to the Queen, and giving her an update to the day's happenings. The Queen listened quietly and waited until Emerald was finished, "Very good, I am always glad you took command, Emerald. You do such fine work." Emerald wanted to beam at the praise, but only bowed to the Queen, keeping her face blank, "Thank you, Highness."

"I know my daughter is not on the Earth, though," the Queen went on, "The Prince is arriving today with his guard. He should be arriving in another hour."

Emerald bowed, "Yes, Highness, I am aware of the prince's arrival, but I had failed to see a connection. Thank you for noticing. I will meet his royal prince and escort them, myself, to their rooms." Emerald turned to leave, "Emerald?"

The Queen called the young woman back and talked quietly, "Please, I would like a guard on their rooms while they are staying here. I have just received reports that the Darkness that had gripped the Earth has spread and many cities have fallen. This disturbs me that this happens so close to my daughters wedding to the Earth prince. If any incident happens while they are here, I will be forced to send them back."

Emerald nodded, knowing the trouble brewing on Earth. She kept up with all news, making her generals aware also, so they could keep their ears open. It was troubling, this Darkness that appeared out of no where, and gripping the hearts of Man. She hoped that it would not spread past Earth.

An hour later saw her waiting by the large rooms called Transit. These rooms were specially built for people to travel between planets. The Prince of Earth stepped out of such a room, followed by his four guards. They too, were named for minerals, as was the trend from their generation. Kunzite, the leader of the prince's guards, greeted Emerald as the Princess Serenity squealed and ran down the hall, launching herself on the prince. He caught her, laughing. Ruby followed, panting as she stopped by Emerald, "Found…her…" Emerald closed her eyes shaking her head as Kunzite chuckled, "She's a handful." The other guards, Jadeite, Zoicite, and Nephrite, stood behind the prince, on guard. Though, Emerald noticed, Zoicite looking at her and Kunzite a bit more often then need be. Each guard wore soft boots to their ankles, breeches in varying shades, loose coats that was covered by their amour. They each wore a cape, as was the fashion for military. Their hair ranged from man to man, Jadeite wore his short, wavy and bright blonde, almost white. Nephrite prided his long locks, wavy auburn to the middle of his back. Zoicite was blonde, but darker then Jadeite's, pulled back from his face in a low ponytail. Kunzite's silver hair flowed straight down his back. It was actual shimmering silver, Emerald unsure if it had ever been any other color. The prince was dressed almost the same way, though his amour a bit for harsh with black and gold, a black cape with red underside hanging over his left shoulder. He was young, only 19 compared to his 26 year old guards. He was handsome, devastatingly. His eyes crystal blue and his hair blacker then coal, worn short.

They walked as a group through the gardens, a large part of the palace that the last queen had commissioned. Every plant that could grow on the moon, did, those from every planet and some from other worlds not of this solar system. They walked through the Earth Rose Garden, the prince and princess walking ahead of them so the small group couldn't overhear what they spoke of. Emerald and Kunzite walked a little ahead of the others, talking of Earth, the security for the ball and the wedding, and other such related topics. They matched each other in stance, hands behind their backs, slowly walking in a half leisurely march. Finally, Kunzite turned to the others,

"I feel that Emerald's efforts have allowed this place to be safe enough for me to go with her to look at maps of the palace. You go ahead and escort the prince to his rooms, I'll be in the cafeteria in about two hours."

He and Emerald took a different path that headed towards her office and a different part of the palace. They walked further into the trees. Kunzite looked back after they walked for about ten minutes and then stepped off the path, pulling Emerald into a shady spot where they wouldn't be seen. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her like he drank from her. She half fell into his arms, her face flaming red as heat rushed into her upper body. She pulled away from him, giggling as if drunk, "Missed me?"

He chuckled and buried his face into her hair, taking a deep breath, taking the smell of vanilla and rosewater, "Like I would miss my sword arm." She rested her head to his chest, he stood over her at about 6'6", so it was easy for her to feel small in his arms, which she loved. They finally parted and stepped back onto the path, risking a tender hand holding as they walked slowly down the shadowy path. As a senshi guard, she was not allowed to have any relationships with outsiders. Kunzite was forbidden to. They could not have helped feeling something for each other, since Kunzite started coming to the Moon with his master. He had met her while she briefed him and his small guard on the way the Moon security worked. It pained her to spend so much time away from him, since her main job was not to protect the princess alone, but the whole Moon. Usually, she was traveling, checking on the outposts, seeing her troops and generals. They were usually far flung over the Moon, but now with the ball and the wedding, she had 90 of her guard concentrated to the palace. They had a quite affair that was almost two years old, and when the wedding of the Moon and Earth was over, Emerald would retire to Earth and be with Kunzite for the rest of her days. Or so that was the plan.

They talked quietly, of Emerald's worries over the security and about the news from Earth. Kunzite gave his worries also, but assured her the Darkness was being fought back and would probably not last much longer. Before they left the shadow of the trees, he gave her one last fleeting kiss. Walking into the light, they were the Commander and the Prince's Guard again as they walked towards her office.

Day bled to night quickly and the day of the ball arrived. Emerald was up early, making sure everything was as it was suppose to be. She sat in her office with a mug of coffee watching the mirrors when Artemis and Luna entered. They were followed the Queen. Emerald stood up so fast, she sloshed hot coffee down the front of her uniform. She cussed then blushed, "Highness, please excuse me." The Queen nodded, her usually smiling self gone now. She turned towards the mirrors, looking at them. She watched, her back to the others, as the palace awoke and readied for the ball that night. The mirrors wiped themselves, returning to their reflective surfaces as Serenity bowed her head, "All Earth citizens are to return immediately."

Emerald stood still, cooling coffee dripping from her skirt, "I'm sorry, Highness?"

Artemis removed a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her, "We intercepted this last night."

Emerald read it slowly, her face paling, "The Darkness took over the Earth? How?" She whispered. Luna looked ill, "It was led by a queen. Or at least that is what she calls herself. She has been corrupted by the Darkness and had the knowledge to unite the people that had been corrupted and lead them." Emerald looked at Luna, "Who?"

The Queen turned, her eyes angry, "Beryl."

Emerald's eye widened and she had to sit down, her face pasty, her eyes flaming against the whiteness, "No… no this can not be…"

"It is and it has!" The Queen said, angrily, "She betrayed the name of Senshi! Seduced by Darkness!" Emerald closed her eyes, the mug she had held long forgotten, fell to the floor, shattering.

"I will deport all Earth citizens immediately, Highness. But…" She looked up at the Queen, "The prince?"

She looked grim, her beauty twisting into something that scared Emerald, "He will be taken back. I would honestly keep him on the Moon, but the Darkness seems to corrupt the Earthlings so quickly and not appear for days. We do not know if he is… one of them."

Emerald nodded, understanding, "I will lock down the palace, until all Earthlings have been deported."

The Queen nodded and turned to leave, Luna and Artemis following. Emerald stood, "Highness?" The Queen turned, she had known what Emerald would say, "She is to be locked in her room. She can not be told, fore if she is…" The Queen sighed and closed her eyes. "My daughter is very much in love with the Prince, and this…this will break her heart…"

Emerald almost could have cried, but she kept her face blank.

The deportation did not go well. Somehow the princess had found out and had to be sedated. Ruby stood by her side with a squad of ten senshi outside the princess's bedroom door. Emerald saw to the deportation herself and as night fell, the only ones left was the prince and his guardians. Endymoin was not happy to leave. He wanted to know why he had to leave. Emerald explain the best she could. The prince just wasn't happy . Kunzite laid a hand to his shoulder, calming him, and talking quietly as they entered the chamber to leave. Emerald heard the familiar buzz of departure and closed her eyes. She let a tear fall down her cheek before opening her eyes. A tall woman with long reddish auburn hair that foamed around her shoulders and down her back stood before Emerald. She wore a tight dark dress and a crown of black crystal. Emerald gasped, calling upon her weapon, the Crystal Sword. The long, almost black sword formed in her hands, deadly as the wielder that held it.

"Beryl!"

The other woman laughed, long and hard, drawing the hair up on the back of Emerald's neck. The palace shook as the new queen walked slowly towards Emerald, "You're too late."

Emerald gritted her teeth and advanced upon her former general. Beryl smiled smugly and raised a hand. Pressure clenched Emerald's chest and pushed her back into a wall, knocking her wind out from her body. She rolled in and out of conciseness as Beryl cackled. Sliding down the wall, Beryl walked into her limited field of vision, "Emerald, you have been a pain in my ass for too long. Now I am the commander, and I will have this moon and the planets and you can not stop me."

Emerald slipped into the darkness, her sword falling to her side. She wanted to argue, run her sword through Beryl's smug face, but the cold darkness pressed around her.

When she awoke, it was dark. Not the darkness of night, but darkness that wrapped itself around the sky and made it hard to see. Her head made her stomach real with nausea. She fought not to throw up. She knew at least two of her ribs were cracked as she stood, gripping her sword. Adrenalin cleared her head and she no longer felt the stabbing pains of cracked ribs and probably a concussion. She walked down the hall stealthily, coming to a side door that lead into the gardens. All around her, she heard the clash of swords. She tried to hale her generals on the communicator that sat in the middle of their bows on their chests, but all she got was a loud whining noise. She passed through the trees where she and Kunzite had kissed just the day before, passing dead bodies. They seemed apart of the garden, in the darkness. She rounded the grounds, coming to the steps that led to the front of the palace. The fountains, usually so beautiful in daylight, were red with blood. It was sickening, as the water shot high into the air. Bodies lay in piles on the ground. She heard the sound of arguing near the top of the steps. She saw Beryl, from her cover near the trees, at the top of the steps, talking to Endymion, who stood in front of Serenity. How did he get back here? Around them, lay four bodies. She had to squint to see the Sailor Senshi. The Guardians of the Princess, princesses in their own rights, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were all dead. Behind Beryl stood Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite. Through her grief over her fallen comrades, she felt relief that Kunzite was not among them. Among the bodies, she could see the guardian senshi in their black uniforms. In the sky, the darkened sky, where usually the stars twinkled brightly and clearly at night, the Earth had risen, large and glittering blue. The Earth was not suppose to rise on this side of the Moon. That disturbed Emerald as she saw the dark band of light that circled the Earth and like a spill of black ink through clear water, the band moved to the Moon. Endymion was yelling something at the cackling Beyrl. She couldn't tell what it was. She strained to hear as a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned in a swift movement, drawing blood from Kunzite, cutting his left sleeve open above the shoulder. He looked at her grimly as the cut on his arm slowly sealed itself. She gasped, moving back into the trees, "Kunzite!" He moved towards her, his sword had yet to be raised, "It's over, Emerald. Join us." He held a hand out to her, the arm she had cut. She looked at him, her face hardening, "You betrayed your prince! Your world!" She grit her teeth, advancing on him. Crystal met steel as he blocked her from stabbing him with his sword, "Don't do this, Emerald! Join us! We can be together forever!"

"At what price! They are dead, Kunzite! Would you kill your prince too?"

"He is not my prince any longer. I serve a new master."

She moved in a Butterfly Arch with her sword, but he blocked her, "Hours of practicing together, Emerald, you could never defeat me."

She grit her teeth harder, "This is the real thing, Kunzite, not just some practice game."

She was quick, he saw, she had held back with him, as she moved in, both hands clutched to her sword's hilt. She drew a line of blood across his cheek before he realized she had held back. Crystal and steel drew sparks as he tried to reason with him. Join the Dark Kingdom and rule beside him.

"You are weak, Kunzite. Betraying your Kingdom for power! Did she promise sex to you, Kunzite?"

She forced him backward with several almost desperate hacking movements. He stumbled and dropped his sword, falling over a stone bench onto the gravel walkway. She was over the bench in a fluid jump, setting the tip of her sword to his throat, "Traitor. You will join the rest of them in Hell. The Moon Kingdom will never fa-" She stopped, jerking forward slightly, her eyes wide in surprised shock. Kunzite flinched as her sword bit into his neck, drawing a thin line of blood. Her sword fell from her hand, clattering on the gravel.

Her face grew pale, her eyes filled with pain. If her fuku had been white, a small red spot could have been seen growing from just below her breasts. In any case, the material of her black fuku tented in that area slightly. She opened her lips, her teeth gritted in pain. Zoicite stepped away from her, Kunzite looking in horror at his comrade. The crystal shard, buried deep in Emerald back, dripped blood on the ground behind her as she fell to her knees in the gravel. Zoicite stood defensively, looking at her with fierce hatred in his eyes. Kunzite wrapped his arms around her, on his knees, his hands finding the shard and pulled it out. She screamed, blood dripping from the side of her mouth. The bloody shard was tossed aside as he lay her to the ground. She stared up at him, shaking slightly, her eyes growing dark. Her chest jerked, she coughed wetly, more blood bubbling from her mouth. Emerald's eyes darted around as Kunzite put an ear to her lips, "I'm…afraid…"

And she was gone.

* * *

The Moon Kingdom did not fall as Emerald was trying to say. The Queen, seeing Endymion take a killing blow for her daughter and then her daughter throwing herself to Endymion's sword, she couldn't stand it. She ran into the Prayer Room of the palace, the only room that only the Queen herself could enter. A large stone pilled stood in the center, and in front of it, another, shorter pillar with a glass case, held the Silver Moon Crystal. Luna and Artemis were sealed away, to one day find those who could defeat the evil Dark Kingdom, as the Queen used the powers of the Silver Crystal and her life force, to lock the Darkness away and send her child and those of the Kingdom, to Earth, to live. The United Planets crumbled, becoming dead and as a thousand years passed on Earth, the fact of the Moon Kingdom was turned to legend, then fiction, then forgotten…

* * *

Caty opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She looked to her friends, who sat in their same seat, each one crying. Bonnie looked angry, Lauren was close to hysterics, and Erin covered her face. She wasn't sure if they had seen what she had, they probably saw their own past experiences. She looked at the five girls and Mamoru. Luna stood behind Artemis, a sad look filling her eyes. Usagi. Yes. Caty knew that name now. She remembered Usagi, as if she had always known her. Artemis had taken the liberty to give each Caty, Lauren, Bonnie, and Erin knowledge of their new friends, their past horrors and battles with the Dark Kingdom.

Caty opened her mouth, finding her mouth dry. It took her a moment to speak, "Why."

Luna looked to Usagi and Mamoru. Mamoru gripped Usagi's hand in his, "The Dark Kingdom has grown too strong. We did not wish to awaken you but…"

"We needed help." Rei said quietly.

End Chapter Two

Memory Gate


	3. Chapter Three

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Three

The Truth is a Scary Monster

Everyone was quiet after Rei had spoken. Bonnie, still looking angry, scratched the back of her as she looked around the room. Lauren sniffed, hiccupping, wiping her eyes with a tissue that came from a box Minako was holding. Erin finally uncovered her face, her eyes red, but her cheeks dry. Caty leaned back, breathing slowly. She didn't understand.

"I don't understand."

Usagi nodded, "I know you don't. It's… it's one of those confusing things so bad that your mind can not focus on the truth. But what you saw was truth. You each lived the last days of the Silver Millennium." She smiled vaguely, "We," she motioned to Mamoru, Makoto, and the others, "found out about it when we were very young. I was 14 years old. It was a shock. More then a shock actually. I didn't even get the whole truth until Mamoru and I found each other."

Caty leaned forward, "So the manga is right?"

Makoto shook her head, "There are…half truths to the manga and anime. The Silver Millennium in the manga was pretty much spot on. Of course the author of those is from that time. She was a famous story teller and painter then. She remember quite a bit because she frequented the courts. What surprised us, once we really got used to being who we are, is how close to our real lives she came. Luna and Artemis chuckled over the fact they had been made into cats. When we were first found, as Sailor Senshi, that's when truth and story separated. We haven't defeated the Dark Kingdom. I wish everything was so black and white like it was in the manga. Maybe then we can have normal lives."

Minako patted her friend on the shoulder, looking at the new girls, "We have been fighting the Dark Kingdom for five years now. We have gained no ground, but they seemed to have gotten stronger since this whole 'War on Terror' crap started with your government. They are probably feeding off the fear and feelings of people all over the world. We managed to locate their portal, where they cross from their dimension to ours. We tried to close the hole, but it's too strong."

Bonnie settled her hands into her lap, "So you tried taking an assload of C2 up to wherever this hole is, and blowing it closed?"

Ami shook her head, "It isn't like some cave or a hole in the ground, it's a rift in space… Kinda like the hole in the ozone layer."

Bonnie bit her lip, "Oh… physics type stuff. I get it."

Lauren looked at the girls, "Where do we come in?"

Minako smiled, "We just need help. We're burning out. A few weeks ago… I… I couldn't transform into Sailor Venus. It freaked me out. I can now, but I was so stressed…"

Caty nodded, "It's ok, Minako, we understand."

Rei looked a little urked, "How can you? You haven't been through what we have. You haven't seen innocent people die because their energy is drained away and they cant live. You haven't seen your friends bleeding on the ground with a monster from your worst nightmares standing over them!"

Ami stood, speaking in loud and angry Japanese to Rei. Caty was shocked she could actually understand it, and from the looks on her friends faces, so could they. Artemis must have implanted that bit of information in their heads to make it easier on them. Rei backed down, having been scolded by the small and bookish girl, sitting with an angry pout. Ami bowed to Lauren and the others, "I'm sorry, Rei-chan is just… over excited to have help."

"She didn't want help, you mean." This came from Erin, "Look." She looked specifically at Rei, "You may not want us here, I don't even want to be here after what I just saw. I KNOW what you have gone through, Artemis made God damn sure of that. But if you're going to throw a hissy fit every time we don't 'know' something, you're gonna have a lot of them. You've been Senshi for 5 years PLUS what you were on the Moon. If you guys didn't need help so badly we wouldn't be here. YOU need US. So piss off, Rei."

The room was very still. Rei was speechless. She just stood and left, slamming the door behind her. Makoto let a grin slide over her face, "I like her."

Erin sat down, still looking pissed. Caty actually started laughing, "Wow, Erin. I've seen you angry online, but real life is way better."

"Online?" Mamoru looked puzzled.

Caty looked at them, "I had never met Erin face to face before. We met on the internet. Bonnie, Lauren and I went to school together."

Usagi looked surprised, "She gathered them, even when they weren't in the same area…"

Luna looked pleased. Caty had no idea what they were talking about, she only shrugged, "Can someone tell me why I woke up here? What did you say, Bonnie? Something hit me on the highway? Last thing I remember is Mamoru getting out of the car and that huge clown thing."

Mamoru looked a little sheepish, Usagi looking angrily at him, "You left them alone, before they could defend themselves?"

Caty blinked, "I'm sorry?"

Luna say down on the floor in front of Artemis, "You all know you're senshi now. But on the highway, when the youma appeared, you could have been hurt. We couldn't afford you to be hurt before you came here and learned what you are. But Caty took care of that." She turned and looked at Caty specifically, "On the highway, you became who you are destined to be. Sailor Emerald. You defeated the youma."

Bonnie's eyes opened wide as Erin and Lauren looked at her. Erin snapped her fingers, "She transformed. I watched the anime and read the manga too. But I thought you…we… we needed to have those little stick things to become Sailors."

Luna pointed to the pendants that was given to them, "Those are what you use to transform. You work a little differently then the planetary senshi, since you are Guardian Senshi. On the highway, the need for Caty to protect her friends pulled Sailor Emerald out of her. Usually when you come out of your alter egos, any wound you sustained is healed. But Caty was forced into it, that's why her appearance changed too. Don't worry, once you transform, and come back, you'll feel better."

Caty held up the little star and looked at it intently, "How?"

Artemis stood, coming over to Caty as the others scooted back. They knew what was coming. Minako pulled Bonnie and Lauren back and Ami motioned for Erin to sit by her. Artemis pulled Caty to her feet and stood her in the middle of the room, "This will feel a little tingly, but you'll get used to it." He took the pendant from Caty and placed it around her neck so it lay on the front of her shirt just above her breasts. "Concentrate on what you remember of the Silver Millennium. Who you used to be, when you have a clear picture, say Crystal Crisis Make-up."

Erin snorted. Ami pushed on her arm gently, "It sounds silly, but it activates the spells on the pendant. Our key words work the same."

Artemis stood back from Caty as she stood in the middle of the room feeling silly. She wasn't sure if this was really for her. These small and fit looking girls could do it, but she was a six foot chubby woman that never had any real exercise. She took a breath and closed her eyes, calling up on what she had seen in her flashback. She saw the unfamiliar woman with long crimson hair with the sword. She always wanted to know how to sword fight. She whispered, "Crystal Crisis Make-up." she didn't want to feel silly if she yelled it and it didn't work. But she didn't really have to worry about that because as soon as she spoke the words, she opened her eyes and a rush of power flowed through her, making her chest flutter. She looked out of what looked like green glass around her, so dark, she could barely make out her friends and the others. She closed her eyes again and the fluttering in her chest stopped. She didn't move, until someone touched her shoulder. She jumped, looking around. She didn't feel any different. She blinked, "I feel silly."

Erin, Bonnie and Lauren were all shocked. Their eyes wide and their mouths slightly open. If they hadn't just seen it, they wouldn't have believed it. Makoto and Minako had brought out a full length mirror from another room and stood it in front of Caty. Caty saw the reflection, but couldn't understand what she was seeing. A tall, thin woman with long crimson hair, straight bangs hanging across her forehead, covering a gold tiara. She took a step closer, touching the mirror. She looked down at her hands, covered in black silk feeling gloves that had black kind of rubbery patches on the palms. The skirt wasn't as short as she thought, it came to just above her knees, it was layered slightly. She ran her hands down the front of her stomach, flat and tight. She looked at her face in the mirror, a face she didn't know. Her eyes so green, it was startling. She blinked a few times. She looked at the boots, they had a heel but not like high heels. She looked at the bottom, they looked like the bottom of the shoes she wore for work, many little squares for non-slip gripping. She wasn't Caty anymore. She was Emerald. She looked at Bonnie, Lauren, and Erin, "Oh my God."

Usagi giggled, "You look very different!"

Emerald turned to her, "That is an understatement. This is kinda freaky, how do I change back?"

Artemis smiled, "Think of who you are now."

Emerald nodded, closing her eyes. She heard someone gasp and she opened her eyes. She stood in the mirror, her old self, no bruises, no maroon hair or stark green eyes. Her dark brown hair to her chin was back, her glasses, her purple t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The heaviness around her middle returned. She sighed with relief, "I'm me."

Bonnie jumped up at the same time Erin did. They looked at each other, giggling nervously. They each closed their eyes, muttering something under their breaths and Caty was blinded by the lights that came from them. She blinked her vision clear, looking at the two strangers standing before her. They looked at each other then raced to the mirror. Bonnie was wearing a dark blue, her hair tied back, it was a darker brown then her hair was, almost auburn. Erin's hair hadn't really changed, but it actually shortened. She and Bonnie, like Caty, were a little heavy, but they toned up as soon as the light had taken them. Bonnie… Sapphire… Sapphire fisted her gloved hands and flexed her arms, "Oh God… I actually know I can bench-press 200 pounds like this, probably more…" Erin… Amethyst… Amethyst laughed as she stood on one foot and leaned forward, "Perfect balance."

Lauren stood, looking nervous. She closed her eyes and muttered to herself and the red flash of light filled the room. Sailor Ruby stood, sheepishly in front of the mirror. She gasped, her hand going to her hair. It stood on end in short spikes that were tipped in red. Her body had filled out and it looked more muscled then her old self. She looked at her arms then back at the mirror, "Oh my Goooooooood. " They each flipped back to their selves and looked at Usagi and the others. They sat down, shaking a little. Luna gave them cups of tea. Lauren was shaking so hard, Ami had to take it from her to keep her from dropping it. Caty looked at the Japanese girls, "I'm sorry… We… we didn't believe you… this…Oh God…"

"It's alright, Caty-chan." Makoto sat by her, hugging her around the shoulders, "It will take a while, but you'll get used to it. Once you meet the enemy, it will be like it always was."

Caty looked a little frightened at that, but if this was their destiny, who was she to change it?

* * *

The four girls shared an apartment across from where Usagi and Mamoru lived. Their belongings had been shipped here and their rooms already neatly arranged for them. Caty thanked God she had her own room, just like each girl did, so she could break down in peace. So far from home and this shock put on her. She wrapped herself in an afghan her mother had made her and she cried a little. She figured a good cry would make her feel better. Makoto and Minako promised to come back in the morning and show them around the neighborhood, maybe get in a little shopping. Artemis had explained to them money wasn't a big deal, since he and Luna ran a very successful antiques business. It was able to support them all comfortably. Mamoru had his own job too. But that was for a hobby, to help him keep a grip on reality. Caty looked at the pictures arranged on her desk of her family, Bonnie and Lauren, there was also a picture of the new group, her new friends. Somehow, there was also a picture of Caty, Erin, Bonnie, and Lauren at the airport. They were all smiling happily, looking into a camera Caty didn't remember being there.

Bonnie knocked softly on her door, letting herself in. Caty wiped her eyes and put her glasses back on, "Yah?"

Bonnie sat down on the edge of her bed, which was Western style, making all the girls happy. Bonnie passed her a box of tissues, "You're ugly when you cry."

Caty laughed, taking a tissue and wiped her eyes, "I can be ugly if I want to be, Bonbon."

Bonnie hugged her around the shoulders, "It's a shocker isn't it? I mean, Sailor Sco- Senshi." She had to change her word quickly, forgetting herself.

Caty nodded, blowing her nose. She tossed the tissue into the waste basket, "In my wildest dreams, yah. But Christ, I didn't think they were REAL, Bonnie." She rubbed her forehead, her headache coming back.

"Well, it seemed to be…is… jeez. I'm still reeling from what I saw. Do you know how I died? I was standing outside that Prayer Room the Queen kept with Lauren… I mean Ruby, and we fell from a couple attacks from that Nephrite guy. We made sure the Queen was safe but… oh man…" She rubbed her face.

Caty wasn't sure she wanted to share that she had been having an affair with the enemy, so she didn't say anything except, "Zoicite stabbed me in the back."

"So what's for dinner?" Bonnie said, trying to break the tension. Caty laughed, "Lets see what they left us in the kitchen."

* * *

The next morning, Minako and Makoto picked up Caty and Erin. Bonnie and Lauren wanted to sight see with Usagi, Luna and Ami. Caty wanted to shop to stock up their kitchen with real food. All they had was ramen and prune juice for some reason. The two girls that came for them, were very fashionable. Caty was surprised. Makoto tended to lean more boyishly in her clothing, with jeans that were boot cut, chuck taylors in dark green and pink, and a white dress shirt, unbuttoned and tied together over a pink tank top. Minako wore a mini skirt, white, and a pale yellow spaghetti strap tank top. She wore tennis sneakers and a white headband. Caty felt a little frumpy with jeans and a black t-shirt that read: FREAK in large red letters. Erin wore a hippy skirt that flowed around her legs and a peasant top, all in white. They walked down the crowded streets, Caty amazed she could read every sign. She knew where she needed to go, but Makoto and Minako showed her the best deals, Makoto especially, since she was a cook too. Caty and her would become fast friends, baking together, Caty with her American style food, and Makoto with her Japanese cuisine.

Two hours later saw them walking into the park, eating ice cream, Minako making Caty and Erin try the Mango Squid Sorbet. Caty tasted it. It must have been just a name because she didn't taste anything but mango and maybe strawberry. They set their parcels down, leaning on a bridge over a small stream. Makoto tossed a coin in for luck and then slurped some of her chocolate coconut ice-cream cone. Minako looked across the stream where it connected with the lake, her face dropped, "Can't even have a nice day of shopping."

The other girls looked where she pointed, seeing a woman standing on the lake. Her hair flowed around her as she held her hands towards a party of picnickers. It was large, it looked like a company picnic. People were dropping like flies. Minako and Makoto grabbed all the bags hiding them under some bushes. They turned to Caty and Erin, "Transform and lets get your feet wet." Caty thought this weird, coming from two girls younger then she was, but she let it go as she closed her eyes, "Crystal Crisis Make-up!" Erin, beside her, was doing the same thing.

They opened their eyes and Sailors Venus and Jupiter stood before them. They took the lead as they ran towards where the picnickers were. They skidded into the grass, standing in front of the already unconscious people. Emerald and Amethyst stood a little on the outside, behind them, battle stance ready. The woman on the lake walked towards them, singing her lovely song. The girls just stood there, unaffected. The singing youma, who resembled a siren, beautiful, with long pointed ears, bluish skin and a dress that seemed made of water, looked at them angrily and hit a high note. The people around the senshi convulsed. Emerald looked at them and then the youma. She grinned. Jupiter had seen how the youma was working and made them stuff chewing gum in their ears. It was gross, but it worked.

Jupiter and Venus darted across each other, Jupiter going into her Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, Venus using her Love- Me Chain. The youma shrieked and crumbled into dust in the water, unable to cope with the double attack. Jupiter moved her hand, removing the gum from her ears, talking to Venus, who also removed the gum. They looked puzzled as they spoke to one another. Emerald couldn't understand them, so she moved to removed the gum, but Jupiter stopped her, pointing up at the sky. Venus was holding her ears and was screaming. A swarm of large bees appeared from a hole in the sky. Venus's eyes rolled up in her head and so did Jupiter's. They fell to the ground. Emerald kneeled by Jupiter, removing her glove and feeling her forehead. She was cold. And so was Venus. Emerald looked up at the bees, standing. They seemed to hover. A man came from the trees to her right. She knew him. She knew him like she knew her own father. Zoicite. He looked exactly like he did in the flashback. He was playing a violin, fast and furiously. Emerald didn't remember him being such a music lover, but then again, she didn't know much about him. She attention went back to the bees as she put her glove back on. She turned to Amethyst, hand signaling to take out the bees while she took care of Zoicite. Amethyst nodded. They still had the hand signals in their brains from the old days. That was handy. Amethyst stood at the waters edge, her hands held high as she seemed to scream something Emerald dint understand, but the air shimmered, crackling with purple energy. They seemed to be darts of purple crystal, and Amethyst jerked her arms forward, the darts volleying into the bees, dropping them into the water. This gave emerald time to call upon her sword. The energy welling into her hands and formed the hilt. The blade drew forward, almost like a light saber in star Wars, thought the blade was more similar to an English long sword. She held the sword in one hand and called to her second power. Telekinesis. She raised a good amount of stone that had been piled by children to skip in the water. She threw them with her mind, like bullets from a gun. They smashed his violin. He stumbled back, shocked as the gum popped from her ears and life roared back into focus. The angry hum of the bees, the screams of Amethyst's 'Crystal Tear Shards', and the cursing from Zoicite as he settled his eyes on Emerald.

He didn't seem to remember her, but she remembered him. His face twisted in ugly anger, "You bitch, that was mine!"

"I know." She rushed at him quickly. He gasped, fainting to the side as she blurred past him. A long crystal sword appeared in his hands, at least she thought it was a sword. It was rather shapeless. He used to block her attacks, poorly, but it kept her from landing a death blow. She danced about him, cutting a sleeve, his hair, and finally drew a line of blood across his left cheek. He screamed in fury, "Who are you!"

Emerald smiled, "You don't remember me, but I remember you. And I wont tell you who I am until I see my sword pressed through to the back of your chest like you did to me." She spit at his feet and ran at him. His eyes widened as he fell back into a dark portal. It closed with a wet snap. She panted, now feeling the cold sweat of fear down her face and back. Her hair clung wetly to her forehead as she turned back to Amethyst who nursed a cut across her arm and forehead. Emerald went to her looking at them. The hole in the sky had closed when she broke Zoicite's violin. The little corpses of bees floated in the pond. They were about the size of small dogs. Emerald kneels by the water, reaching to catch one floating by so she could look at it, but as soon as she touched it, it turned to gray dust as the others did. She looked over at Amethyst, who was removing gum from her ears as she stood over Venus, "Are they ok?"

Emerald stood, going to stand over Jupiter, "Yah, they just had their energy zapped. We need to move them before the cops come." She faded back into Caty and pulled a cell phone from the pocket of her jeans. A handy trick, her clothing was in the same shape she left it in when she transformed. She dialed Mamoru's cell phone. He had given her the number last night,

"Mamoru, it's Caty. I need a pick up of green and yellow at the park. Yah. Thanks." She hung up, looking at Erin. She had faded back to herself and was kneeling by Venus, "How do we get them to change back?"

Caty shrugged, "Mamoru asked if they were still senshi, and then said he'd be right here."

Erin nodded, "I'll go get the bags, you wait for Mamoru." Caty kneeled by Jupiter, flipping a hand to Erin, saying, go go.

* * *

Makoto gripped the ends of the blanket, shivering. Mamoru had come in the nick of time, the police showing up just after they pulled out of the park. Minako dipped her feet into a hot bath, buried in a quilt on the couch next to Makoto. Erin set a try of hot tea before them, Caty and Mamoru sitting on the other couch in Mamoru's apartment. Erin sat at Mamoru's feet as Makoto picked up a mug of tea, sipping it through chattering teeth. Caty explained what had happened, Mamoru listening silently. Minako nodded, shivering, "Fl…fl…Flight of the…bu…bu…bu…Bumble Bee."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Caty looked confused, "Did I miss something?"

Mamoru sighed, "Zoicite uses music as his main weapon. His youma uses music, he usually plays violin if he actually shows his face."

"Well, he did today and I broke his violin." Caty said, looking angry, "That God damned asshole didn't even remember me. Whatever they do in that Dark Kingdom place, they must brainwash their soldiers. But he got a shock that two more senshi had shown up. Lets keep Bonnie and Lauren a secret if we can. The less the Dark Kingdom knows, the better."

* * *

Zoicite rubbed his hands together as he paced back and forth in front of the chair Kunzite sat in, reading. Cussing under his breath, he stopped, looking at his lover, "HOW! HOW can you just sit there, reading after what I JUST told you!"

Kunzite looked at the blonde, his dark eyes level, flat, and unconcerned, "They got a few new ponies to do some tricks. Nothing to worry about, Zoi."

The two men lived together in the Palace of Darkness. Their suite of rooms were dark, as was the rest of the castle. Dark stone, cold floors, stark colors. Kunzite didn't care for this place, but having lived here for a thousand years, he had grown used to it. He remembered a warmer time, on Earth, but that was all he remembered, and the battle on the moon, when he grew in power after pledging his life to the evil Queen. For all he knew, he had been with Zoicite even then, because they had killed the Commander of the Guardian Senshi on the Moon.

Zoicite screamed a high pitched girl frustration scream, kicking a chair across the floor and dramatically flinging himself across the large canopy bed. Kunzite sighed, standing, "We have to go report to the Queen." Zoicite rolled over, pouting, "I don't wanna."

"Too bad, muffin." Kunzite pulled his hands so Zoicite slid off the bed, standing. Kunzite smoothed the wrinkles from his uniform and clipped his cape around his shoulders, kissing his forehead. Zoicite smiled and sighed, "Ok."

* * *

They walked down the long cave like halls to the throne room. They entered the cavernous room, the only light coming from the far side where a large blood colored stalactite came down from the ceiling. It was almost clear, and a light pulsed from within. A woman, nude, was half incased within the stone. Her arms pinned above her head as she leaned forward, her hair flowing around her, covering her chest. Her waist and legs, pinned within the stone, hadn't moved for almost 900 years. Queen Beryl. The mighty ruler of the Dark Kingdom, was now a puppet for the evil entity that had come from the Sun. It had landed on the Earth, filling Man with hate, jealousy, and blood lust. It had captured the hearts of the Earth Prince's closest guards to allow it to spread to other planets.

Beryl rolled her head up, pointing her eyes at the two men who stepped within the circle of light. She didn't really look at them, for her eyes had stopped working many years ago. They were now cloudy orbs within her head. She was suspended about 20 feet above them, looking down. She blinked slowly,

"Why have you come before me?"

Zoicite stepped forward, "My Queen, two new senshi have appeared on Earth."

The queen blinked again, "New Senshi. The senshi were all destroyed. You lie."

Kunzite stepped forward, removing a glass orb from within his cape. He held it up to the Queen as a mini movie seemed to play within, "He does not lie, Highness."

The Queen watched the orb, her face blank. When it was finished, she opened her mouth, blood dripping from it onto the stone. She closed her mouth after a good puddle had formed. From the puddle, a figure rose, forming into a youma. The youma looked like a puppet without strings, naked of any gender, bald, no eyes. It was creepy. It looked at Kunzite, its head rolling to the side. It glowed and formed into an exact replica of Kunzite. It looked to Zoicite and it was Zoicite. Then it was the puppet again. The Queen opened her mouth again,

"Your spy. I want more information. Go."

End Chapter Three

The Truth is a Scary Monster


	4. Chapter Four

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Four

Captured!

Caty stood in the kitchen, looking at the TV that had been set up on the counter. She leaned forward, her right hand gripping the butcher knife she had been using to cut up green onion for a stew. The news reported three more attacks upon the city from the mysterious monsters. Luckily the saviors of the city, The Sailor Senshi, had been there to save people from further harm. Three had died. Makoto finally had to take the knife from Caty's white knuckle grip, "It wasn't bad."

"Three people died and Bonnie nearly broke her arm."

Makoto sighed, going back to chopping potatoes, "This is our life, Caty. This is what you got into by come here."

"Call a spade a spade, then. We were forced here without choice."

Makoto looked at her, hurt filling her eyes, "You really think that?"

"What I think, won't fill this measuring cup to the ¼ mark, but it still counts." She held the measuring cup, "We were brought here to help you, I have seen the enemy and I intend to stop this horror upon the world once and for all."

"Then maybe you can do what we've been trying for years, Caty-chan."

Caty and Makoto turned to Usagi and Mamoru. They stood holding bags of groceries. The group was having a big dinner to mark the three month anniversary of the Crystal Senshi's return. Makoto and Caty had been working all day to make it a very special dinner. The two girls had gotten into their old argument about how harsh the senshi should take action. Caty wanted to find the Dark Kingdom and cut a path through the hell to the Queen. Makoto wanted to wait, let them come to her.

Usagi set down her bags, looking at Caty, pleasantly, but in her eyes, Caty could see distain and anger. Caty looked down, "I'm sorry…I'm just frustrated."

"I know, we all are."

Through the front door, the rowdy crew had returned. Rei, Lauren, Minako, Erin, and Bonnie. Luna, Ami, and Artemis were already sitting in the living room, reading. Lauren and Bonnie had been out of their first battle. Three buildings had to be destroyed before the choice was made to finally uncover Bonnie and Lauren's Sapphire and Ruby alter egos. And boy, did it shock the hell out of Jadeite. Between Sapphire's Volley of the Hurricane, Ruby's Hammer Song, and finally the double team of Mar's Snake Fire/ Venus's Love and Beauty Shock. The youma was defeated and the city saved once again. Bonnie plopped down next to Ami, "How do you feel today, Ami-chan?"

Ami, who seemed to have not been able to transform for a good two months now, smiled, "I'm alright. Congratulations."

Bonnie shrugged happily, "It was awesome!" She jumped up to start regaling the team of what happened. Caty stood in the doorway to the kitchen, listening.

"… came out of no where! My arm hurt like a mother, but once I transformed it was ok. OH, you should have seen Lauren!"

Lauren looked sheepish, "I can't help is if I can bench press the Chrysler Building in that form."

"She threw a truck! I mean threw it like a toy car! It was awesome!" Bonnie sat down again, panting, "I love being a senshi!

Luna chuckled, "Glad you like it."

Ami stood, "Please excuse me."

The small girl left the room, going across the hall into Mamoru's apartment. Minako excused herself, following her. Caty frowned, "She's worried."

Rei rolled her eyes, "No shit Sherlock."

Caty chucked the spoon she held at Rei, who ducked, "HEY!"

Erin stood over Rei, "AGAIN! AGAIN! Say it again, Rei."

Rei crossed her arms, "I don't have to repeat myself. We've dealt with this before. You don't need to bother."

Erin growled and moved closer to Rei. Caty, laying a hand on her friend's arm, stood between Rei and Erin, "Why don't you go over and see if you can do something. Practice that healing gift you seemed to have acquired."

Erin gave one more hateful look to Rei and left the apartment. One of Amethyst's hidden gifts of senshi was the power to heal the wounded. It had come in handy in tight spots. If it was just a physical thing with Ami, maybe Amethyst could fix it.

Caty glared at Rei and went back to the kitchen. Makoto came in, helping to finish the dinner.

It was a week later when it was discovered that now, besides Ami, Minako and Erin couldn't transform.

"It's the stress," Makoto was saying to Usagi and Caty over sodas at their favorite hangout, the Crown Fruit Bar and Karaoke. Caty chewed her bottom lip, "We haven't work enough to be stressed out. It doesn't seem right. I mean, I noticed Erin avoiding going out for missions, but this could be bad."

"Minako had this happen before… maybe they just need a vacation. I mean, we have the help now…" Usagi smiled at the worried Caty. Caty looked into her diet coke, swirling the lemon slice around the glass, "It doesn't feel right."

You better not crapping out on us too, Caty." Makoto said, pointing a finger at her, "We need you."

"I know, I'm just saying that we," She pointed to herself in reference to the Crystal Senshi, "haven't been…ah…working long enough to be stressed out."

Usagi shrugged, "Well, we will send them up to the mountains for a few days, see if that fixes them. For right now, I want a sundae."

"Oooh…sundae," Caty said, food replacing her worry for her friends.

* * *

"I feel funny…" Lauren said as she sat between Ami and Erin in the car to the mountains. Mamoru and Caty took Lauren along. Minako sat behind Ami, Erin, and Lauren with the luggage. Caty was excited that she would actually get to go to a real Japanese getaway. Trees, hot bathes, tea houses. She grinned and hopped up and down in her seat as they came into the little driveway that would lead them to the hotel. Caty looked back into the backseat at Lauren, looking over her sunglasses, "Bathroom funny or carsick funny?"

Lauren thought a moment, "I don't know," she finally said, "It feels like carsick, but I don't get that feeling of wanting to throw up."

Caty shrugged, "Maybe it's the thin air up here, we'll be to the hotel soon."

"You better not throw up on me." Erin said.

"We're here," Mamoru was announcing, as he parked the car. He got out, stretching from the three hour drive, taking in the mountain air. Caty hopping out, rolling her arms to work out the kinks, "Wow, its really pretty here." Lauren got out, "This is more beautiful then the Blue Ridge Mountains," She gasped. Ami, Minako, and Erin got out, silent, as they looked around. Caty walked to the back of the SUV, her sandals crunching on the gravel driveway. Mamoru had already opened the back. She helped grab bags, and satchels. She tossed one at Minako, "I know you guys are in awe of the beauty of the wilderness, but can you give us a hand?"

She was startled by the dark look she received from Minako, who caught the suitcase. Then it was gone, like it was never there, "Sure thing. Then we can hit the hot bathes! You guys haven't lived until you soaked in sulfur and hot water. Its so relaxing," She was saying to Lauren and Erin as they carried their bags inside. Caty stood, staring after then, blinking. She jumped when Mamoru touched her arm, "You ok?" Caty nodded, "Uh, yeah. Just thought I saw a ghost, you know how these old places boast ghosts."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, "Into spirits?"

Caty nodded as she picked up her own duffle bag, "Yah, it's kinda a hobby of mine."

* * *

They settled into their rooms, Lauren and Caty shared one. Erin wanted to bunk with Ami and Minako. Mamoru got his own room, being the man. The rooms were very simple, traditional Japanese. Whicker floors with beds that were rolls out on the floor every night by servants. Simple water color paintings on the wall, low tables. Caty found it annoying. She didn't like to kneel when she ate, her knees always bothered her. Lauren got the better end of the stick, not having far to go with her small frame, making Caty jealous once again that Lauren was a small petite girl and Caty was a tall Amazon. But, with a shrug, she grabbed a towel, changed into her bathing suit and slipped into a pair of sandals to go to the hot springs. She got a hell of a shock when she got there. The few people that were at the retreat all seemed to be in the large unisex hot springs. Naked. You couldn't see anything through the murky water, but the fact that they were sitting in the water, naked, made her face flame brilliant red and she turned. Minako, Erin, and Ami sat to the side, reading. She looked at them, "You guys not going in?" Minako nodded, "We will in a few moments." Caty nodded, "I think…I'll go change and have a bit of a walk." Mamoru and Lauren stood outside the front of the hotel, looking at the trees, Mamoru pointing out birds. Caty stood beside Mamoru, "They were naked."

He turned to her and laughed, "Never been in a hot spring before?"

"No," She said, as calmly as she could as Lauren cackled so hard on the other side of Mamoru, she fell over. Caty glared at her friend, "I don't want to flash my ass in public, ok? I'll just get a rub down, maybe a pedicure, and take in nature." Mamoru chuckled, "Lets go for a walk then." He looked at Lauren who was still rolling around in the gravel. "I'll be…in the….springs…" she said through her tears.

They walked down a bath through the trees that seemed only for deer and other smaller creatures of the forest. Mamoru wore shorts and sandals and seemed to navigate through the brush just fine. Caty seemed to get whacked with every branch, thankful she wore jeans that covered her legs from scratches and thorns. He stopped in a small covering of trees, looking out at a family of deer. Caty smiled, watching them. From across the clearing, she saw someone else, a tall man with long black hair. He didn't look Japanese, but something else, his skin was pale, or maybe it was just where he stood. Caty got a shiver, looking at him, and pulled on Mamoru's sleeve.

They moved on down the path towards a waterfall set into high rocks. They sat down and had a bite to eat. Mamoru had found a plum tree with early fruit. They were a little sour but tasty. Caty sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet in after she removed her shoes and rolled her jeans up. She tossed the pit of the plum into the water, making little rings. She smiled as the reflection cleared and she saw herself and the man she had seen in the clearing standing behind her. She squeaked and tumbled head first into the pool of water. She came up, sputtering, spitting water out of her mouth. Her glasses hung askew on her face. She pushed her wet hair from her eyes and righted her glasses, glaring at the man who was laughing. Mamoru was no where to be seen, "I'm sorry!" The man said, in English. He offered a hand to her and she took it, "I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard me coming up."

Caty got out, dripping wet, pulling string of algae from her hair, "You could have been a little louder."

He looked sheepishly at her, "Well," he pulled a piece from her shoulder and flicked it away, "I don't get to pull pretty ladies from pools of water often."

She eyed him, not used to compliments from handsome men, she dismissed it, "Yeah, well, don't make it a habit of scaring them into it in the first place." Mamoru came out of the trees, "Caty?" The stranger turned to Mamoru, "Oh, the jealous boyfriend. I mean you no harm." He said with humor in his voice, holding his hands up, "Just saving a damsel in distress. Zien Kut." He held out a hand to Mamoru as he gave his name. Pronouncing it Zane Koot. He spelled it too, as if people got it wrong all the time. Caty thought that was a little arrogant of him, since she didn't care to get to know him further. She put on her shoes, "Mamoru, I'm going back to the hotel to change." He nodded, looking at Zien, "Nice to meet you… uh…" Zien chuckled, "The lady beckons, Mamoru."

* * *

Back at the hotel and a set of dry clothes later, Caty sat in a lounge chair on the deck, reading a book. The sun was setting dramatically over the mountains, making her wish for a man to share it with. Then she scolded herself for being such an airhead and went back to her book. Someone took the chair next to her. She looked up from her book, aware that someone was not a friend and was staring at her. She looked over to find Zien, "Oh for God sake! What? Are you following me?"

He chuckled, sitting back in his chair, "Nope, just luck of the draw I guess. I figured you would be staying here. I've been looking for you for the better part of an hour. You and Mamoru serious enough where I shouldn't even bother asking you out?"

Caty closed her eyes, willing herself not to blush as she stood, gripping her book, "We aren't even a couple. I have no idea where you got that idea. Second, following people it creepy. So stop following me." She turned and started back to her room. Zien caught up, "Hey…" He said, panting, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come on like that. I didn't expect to find another American here and it surprised me."

"So you hit on any American you see in Japan? Try the naval yards." She turned a corner, disgruntled and weary of this man now, "Hey!" she stopped when he grabbed her arm, "Let go."

"All I wanted to do was ask you to lunch. I don't hit on any American I see. Just those I want to. And for your information you're the first."

She raised an eyebrow, "I find that hard to believe."

He shrugged, "I like tall women. So, lunch? Tomorrow?"

She thought, "Hm… Yah sure, what will it hurt." she shrugged, "Oh, by the way, my name is Catherine. You can just call me Caty."

"Well, Caty, I'm Zien. Pleased to meet you."

Lunch was uneventful. Caty found a nice skirt and her favorite white tunic shirt to wear. They made small talk, talking about where they came from, Zien was from Boston on a student visa, learning about Japanese architecture. Caty said she was on a student visa also, she wasn't sure what for, since she hadn't really been to a school since coming here, so she said she was studying folk lore. She just hoped he didn't prompt her for a story. They took a walk after lunch, through the small rock garden the hotel kept up. A man was raking sand as Caty and Zien stopped to watch. Zien plucked a flower from a bush and gave it to her. She smiled at him, the two inch difference between their height. Then it happened. Of course it happened. She was having a good time with a man that liked her and it HAD to happen. A crash from the other side of the hotel and the ground shook. Zien looked startled but Caty knew that crash. A youma. Here. Of all the places in Japan. Mamoru was running from the hot springs, a towel wrapped around his middle. Caty saw him and turned to Zien, "I have to see if my friends are alright. You stay here."

"What! I'll come with you!"

"Like hell, I don't want you hurt too." She pushed him into a rose bush. He yelped and struggled as she ran down the path after Mamoru and out of sight.

"Crystal! CRISIS! MAKE UP!"

In a flash of green, she and Tuxedo Kamen stood at the top of the hotel, looking down at the monster in the back woods. Emerald tightened her jaw as she saw that Minako, Ami, and Erin were all struggling against the thing. The back of the hotel had a wide field of wildflowers just before the forest. The youma looked like a giant wild flower. Its thorn vines wrapped around her three friends, lifting them off the ground as Zoicite stood by, watching.

"This isn't just a coincidence."

Emerald looked at Tuxedo Kamen, his cape flapping in the wind, "No shit. They attack the three of us that can not transform? They know something." Her sword formed in her hand as Sailor Ruby stood beside Emerald, panting, "Sorry, eating, couldn't get away from the rushing people." She clapped her own black gloved hands together and a long crystal formed then turned into a black hammer. It was doubled headed, with the handle black and edged in red crystal. It rimed Emerald of John Henry's Hammer, from the stories she heard in elementary school. Ruby looked at her and smiled, "John Henry's Hammer, eh?" Emerald laughed, "Get out of my head."

"Ladies," Tuxedo Kamen motioned towards the youma and jumped from the roof. Emerald and Ruby followed suit. Emerald took point, by cutting her friends free of the vines that held them as Ruby twirled her hammer in her hands and brought it down on the ground, "HAMMER SONG!" And the hammer did sing as the ground shook, opening beneath the youma. It fell in, screeching and then the earth around it closed up. Zoicite clapped in earnest, "GOOD SHOW!" He cackled in his girlish voice, "I say good show! But now…"

He waved to the three free girls and they stood. Erin, Minako, and Ami. Their faces blank, their eyes empty as they stood limply. Emerald and Ruby gasped, Tuxedo Kamen clutching Emerald's arm harshly. Their friends dissolved before their eyes, turning into sexless, hairless, eyeless puppets.

"What did you DO TO THEM!" Emerald screamed. Her body shook in rage. How could this have happened? How did she not notice one of hers was the enemy. Maybe it was just a decoy and her friends were safely inside. She hoped to God that was the case as she pointed her sword at Zoicite, "I swear by the blood of my ancestors that if they are harmed I will not let you die until you felt their pain, Zoicite!"

The feminine male crossed his arms, "You know, that puzzled me. I have been racking my brain, thinking. How did you know of me? I mean, I would have remembered if there were other senshi besides those of Sailor Moon guild. But then you show up with your three little friends. I'm flabbergasted. And then, she spilled the beans." He waved a hand and a portal opened in the ground. A stake rose from the hole and tied to it was a severally harmed Erin. Her hair hung in her face and she leaned forward against her binds. She looked up sluggishly, her face bruised, her mouth still trickling blood, "EMERALD!" She screeched when she finally saw who it was.

Emerald's grip on her sword tightened as her face darkened, "You monster," she seethed. Zoicite chuckled as Erin faded back into the ground, "I still don't remember you, but I have the story. Silver Millennium and all that. What I still don't have is who YOU really are, Ms. Sailor Emerald. That, I will be getting shortly. I still have your other two friends." He cackled and faded back into a warp hole, leaving the three puppets staring at Kamen, Emerald, and Ruby. The first one attacked Emerald. It was unbelievably strong and she held her sword up in a block. It gripped the blade, Emerald stared into the empty eyes and pushed with both her mind and body. The puppet youma rocketed backwards, hitting a tree. It fell to pieces and seemed to stay that way. Ruby was swinging her hammer with very tight control at the one that attacked her. She got in a lucky shot to the head, sending it flying. Ruby yelled, "HOMERUN!" as she drove her hammer into its middle and jerked up, tearing the hammer through the middle. The youma fell to dust. Emerald was puzzled, if it fell to dust when destroyed, then what happened to hers?

She turned to find the thing tackling her to the ground. With clawed hands, it ripped at her chest as she grit her teeth, trying to concentrate through the pain. She brought her knees up under its pelvis and pushed up. It fell to the side and she rolled to her knees, going for the sword she dropped. She had it in her hands as it jumped on her back. It rode her like a bull as she screamed, its claws tearing down her neck and back. Ruby swung hard, launching the youma off of Emerald. Emerald rolled up onto her knees and pointed her sword, pissed off now.

Light ripped down the sword and then back up. She launched herself at the youma and pinned it to a tree like a beetle to a card. It struggled as Emerald held out her hand and two long daggers appeared, the same black and green crystal of her sword. She brought the daggers down in a crossing motion, beheading the youma. It fell to dust, and she popped the dagger back into the strange space they seemed to be in while she didn't need them. She pulled her sword out and turned to the last youma. Tuxedo Kamen seemed to be having a stand off as she and Ruby came upon them. Emerald used her metal throw to toss it into a tree and Ruby crushed its head with a hammer swing. Tuxedo Kamen, sweating, smiled, "'Bout time!"

Emerald grimly looked at the spot where the last youma fell. "We defeated them, but our people are missing."

Tuxedo Kamen looked grim as Ruby's hammer disappeared and she rubbed her arms, "I knew I felt weird sitting between Erin and Ami. Do you think…they've been like that for a while?"

Emerald faded back to Caty, her wounds healing, "That's why they couldn't transform. We better get back to Tokyo." She closed her eyes, "We need to deliver the bad news."

* * *

They were loading the car as Zien came to say goodbye. He gave Caty his email address for her to keep in touch. She gave him a weak smile. They stood out of sight on the other side of the SUV from Lauren and Mamoru. Zien didn't really know how many people were in their party so he didn't ask about the three missing girls. Caty was glad, because her heart hurt. Zien hugged her suddenly and gave her a swift kiss, "I will see you again." Caty was left speechless as he strode away and Mamoru came around the car, "Lets get out of here. I called Usagi and she's frantic." Caty nodded numbly, climbing into the car.

End Chapter Four

Captured!


	5. Chapter Five

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Five

Changes

The smaller group had returned to Tokyo with great sadness as they had to relay their horrible news to the others. Bonnie and Lauren didn't mourn as badly as Caty did, they didn't know Erin like she did. She and Erin had been best friends, even if it was over the internet. They sent each other Christmas presents, consoled each other over lost loves and laughed together over movies they found they were watching at the same time. There had to be a group meeting with the remaining senshi. Rei seemed more pissed then usual, Caty didn't blame her. This was a blow to their group. Three senshi gone. They all currently sat in Mamoru's apartment, sipping tea to calm their nerves.

"If they couldn't transform for weeks…" Makoto was saying.

"They had to have been those puppet youma, spying on us." Lauren said.

Caty had stayed silent during this exchange of ideas, her own brain going a hundred miles a minute. If their comrades had been captured weeks ago, then the Dark Kingdom had time enough to find out where they live. That much is true if those imposters had stayed with them for those long weeks, coming to know their habits, their identities and in some cases, their families.

"Oh my God."

Everyone looked at Caty as she stood up at her epiphany. Her hands shook as she covered her face with her hands, "They know where we live. They know who we really are. Who our families are and where they live." She uncovered her face, looking at them all, "They could come right now and kill us in our sleep."

That set off the uproar, Makoto shot up, looking out all the windows and locked the door, Rei prayed, Usagi buried her head further into Mamoru's shirt, sobbing. Bonnie looked white as Lauren got up, helping Makoto secure the apartment. Caty ran a hand through hair, "GUYS!" She whistled loudly for attention, "Look, we can just change out appearance and move. It doesn't sound easy, but it's easier then getting killed. Luna and Arty will help us. We'll split up. If we do it within the next day, they can't find us."

Mamoru looked around his apartment then to his friends and finally his soon to be wife, "Let's do it."

* * *

Caty stood behind the counter to the small bookstore she worked in. In this older part of Tokyo, she didn't get many customers, so she wasn't bothered. She could read all she wanted. Her hair was now to her shoulders and dyed a maroonish red. It was very flattering to her complexion. She was a good 20 pounds lighter, and shrinking.

Since the small group of senshi scattered throughout Tokyo, each one changing their habits and appearance, Caty had went on a fasting diet. The change was amazing; at least her friends said when they got together once a month for meetings. It had been three months. Three long and agonizing months where they took ground from the Dark Kingdom with blood and teeth. They were vicious now, and the Dark Kingdom responded. They found the body of Ami and Minako at their last battle. They had been used up. Sailor Emerald, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Jupiter had been at the scene when they found the bodies. It wasn't pretty. No word about Erin.

Caty looked up as the bell over the door twinkled. She greeted the person she couldn't see in Japanese and went back to her book. She looked up as the person stood at her counter and she gasped, dropping her book, "Zien?" The tall young man grinned, "Hi."

She hadn't seen or heard from him since they left the hotel where they found out Minako, Ami, and Erin were imposters. He was handsome, his complexion dark, his eyes a yellowish green. His black hair was long, past his shoulders, and tied back. High cheekbones and a snappy dresser to boot. Caty remembered him because he had been a very good kisser. She blinked a few times, smiling, "What are you doing here?"

Zien shrugged, "I needed a book? I saw you here a few days ago, leaving, and I knew it had to be you. You changed your hair and lost some weight, but I knew you," he smiled, "You look good."

She blushed, "Thanks. It was time for a change."

* * *

They went out for lunch after Caty closed shop. Her boss was out of town, and she had so few customers, she thought it was be alright. They ate at an American style diner, which Caty frequented often. They caught up with each other, how Zien's study of Japanese architecture went, and Caty giving the cover story about folk lore, "Yah the moon," she was saying, "The Japanese have a very deep a loyal tradition about the moon. They even have one about a kingdom on the moon," which was true enough, Rei had told her the stories. Zien looked very interested. They finished their lunch, Caty looking at her watch and gasping, "It's been three hours! I need to get back to the shop."

"Can we have dinner together? Tomorrow?" Zien looked up at her from the booth. She stood, putting her coat on, "Well…ok. I had something, but I can reschedule." She smiled at him. She tossed half the check plus tip down before he could protest and left. She was a modern woman. She didn't like guys paying her way.

That night, she lay in her bed in the apartment she shared with Makoto and stared up at the ceiling. Zien. She smiled to herself, the first real guy really interested in her.

* * *

The changes were rampant through all the senshi. They had to protect their families and friends. So they cut off al ties with them. The little they heard, all family and friends were safe and sound so maybe the Dark Kingdom didn't know about their families. It was better to be safe then sorry. They sat around the table in a better off part of Tokyo, in Luna and Artemis's antique shop. Caty looked at each of her friends. Luna and Artemis didn't change, they refused. They said they had lived long enough , they weren't scared of the Dark Kingdom. Usagi had cut her hair to her shoulders and she wore contacts to make her eyes green. Mamoru had died his hair brown. Makoto was tanner, her long curly hair now a dirty blonde. Rei was a priestess in another temple, cutting her hair back to below her ears. Lauren and Bonnie didn't change much, Bonnie refusing to cut her hair. Lauren dyed her a brighter blonde. Caty didn't wait for the updates, "Guys, I need to go…"

Usagi looked at her, squinting, "Why?"

Caty blushed, "Um… I have a date?"

Usagi frowned, "A date? We see each other socially once a month and you have a date?"

Caty frowned back, "Makoto can fill me in on updates. I mean, he just got into town and is leaving tomorrow…" She fudged it a little, but thought she could worm her way pout of it. She wanted a breather from senshi business. Usagi looked angry but waved her away.

Caty left, her hippie skirt flaring around her thighs as she walked to the diner they would meet at again. She put a hand on the handle of the door when her pendant flared with light. This only happened when she was summoned to fight. She could have cried. She could see Zien on the inside of the Diner. She sighed and walked away, she would have to apologize later. Maybe treat him to a movie. Since their third date was ruined.

Ducking into an alleyway, she transformed. She used a drainpipe and climbed to the rooftops to travel quicker through the city where she was needed. As she ran, she couldn't help but think of Zien. She hated to stand him up like that, but he was a sweet sport and would understand. She would make it up to him. Maybe she would cook him dinner. Yah, that's it. She would cook him dinner. Something very American, he had been saying how homesick he was for Boston. She stood at the edge of a savings and loan looking into a parking lot where Sailors Ruby and Sapphire stood, facing off with what looked like some kind of snake. But where the head should have been was a man with a very muscular chest, arms, and a cobra's head. It was at least 30 feet long.

Sapphire moved her hands and Emerald could see she had two large fans in her hand. Not just some lady's fans either. Emerald had held those things. They were five pounds each made of strong steel. They had a bright blue band of silk like material between the steel ribs and the wide top edge, which unfurled, was as sharp as any knife. One in each hand, she moved gracefully with her deadly weapons. Spinning like a top as the snake rolled its tail under her, she sliced into it, a spay of blood coating the ground and it immediately started to eat through concrete. The other end of the snake as went for Ruby, tossing a car like a toy on top of her. Emerald watched as it landed on her, bouncing on the tires and she waited, holding her breath. She didn't have to worry, because the small senshi raised the car above her head and threw it back to the youma's dismay. The car pinned it to a wall as it screeched, lashing its tail like a whip. Sapphire dipped her knees and jumped into the air. She came down on the tail of the snake youma, cutting it in half. The youma was angry by now, the car was thrust away and it moved awkwardly without half its tail for movement. Ruby and Sapphire backed away, avoiding the spray of acid blood the tail was still spraying everywhere. Ruby yelped, dancing back as she got some on her boot. Emerald decided to jump in. She took the element of surprise and beheaded the beast as it moved under where she stood. It stopped moving, its head rolling to bump Sapphire's boot. Ruby still danced around, her boot smoking now until she turned back into Lauren and the smoking was gone. Emerald looked at the youma as it crumpled to dust. Sapphire smiled, "Hey, didn't think you'd come."

Emerald looked at her and shrugged, her face stony, "I cant ignore a call. I'm going back now." She turned and Sapphire gripped her arm, "Emerald, look, we're sorry. You didn't HAVE to come."

Emerald looked at her friend, "And risk loosing another one of my friends? What if this youma had been here to steal one of you? They would know our new identities. I wont let that happen. I won't loose another friend." She smiled at Sapphire, "Better get back now, tell the others what happened. Like I said, I have a date."

When she got to the diner, Zien was gone, but the waitress had a note from him. He said he was sorry, but something had come up and he couldn't make their date, which Caty sighed with relief. He would meet her at the bookstore tomorrow and they could make plans for another date.

* * *

She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, counting the tiles again. It was a wet and rainy afternoon. If sunny days were slow, rainy days were dead. She was bored. Bored was an understatement to how bored she was. She was uttering this little mantra when the door dinged. She sat up, leaning to the right past a row of books and smiled, "Zien!" He made his way through the shelves and leaned on her counter, his hair dripping. He smiled and she laughed, tearing some towels off a roll of paper towels and laid it over his head, "You're dripping on my comic book." He looked down at the open book that was a manga of Sailor Moon. He lifted it and laughed, "You read this trash?" She blushed, "Something to do on a rainy day. There was a back pile of them I was sorting through and got to looking at them."

Which was true enough, though, really, she was catching up on the Silver Millennium. She was trying to erk as much information about the Dark Kingdom as she could out of the thin paper books. Zien tossed it aside and whipped a bag onto the counter, "To make up for my being such a cad and missing our third and wonderful date, I bought lunch."

She made a sound very close to being a squee and looked into the bag, "OH MY GOD!" She pulled out fried mushrooms with ranch and a sloppy hamburger, "How did you know?" She very unlady like stuffed a mushroom into her mouth and closed her eyes.

He laughed, "You seemed the type to like them." He leaned forward and poked her stomach, which still had some ways to go before it was safe to wear a bikini, but she wasn't loosing weight for that reason. She squeaked and half choked on her mushroom.

She coughed, half laughing, "You are going to be the only person I will ever allowed to do it."

"I'll only do it on special occasions, then." He picked a mushroom and stuck it in his mouth, chewing slowly. She wiped her mouth on a napkin that had been in the bag and looked at him as he went through the bag, setting out the burgers and drinks. She took in the lines of his face, the way his nose was slightly curved with a small bump in the middle, it had been broken before. High cheekbones, his hair had a slight widows peek and even at a young age, he had silver threads through his hair. He looked at her, staring at him, "What?" She blushed and coughed, "Nothing." He smiled warmly and leaned across the counter. She didn't move, or even register what he was doing until his lips met hers and she almost fizzed over like a shook up soda. The bell over the door rang and she gasped, falling backward, missing her chair and landing on her butt. She smacked her head on the chair's seat and cussed loudly in English. A bubbly Japanese voice laughed and said in Japanese, "Yup, she's here."

Caty pulled herself up, leaning on the counter. Zien had his back to her, looking at Makoto. Makoto looked over his shoulder at Caty, who was rubbing her head, "Hello there." Zien half turned and grinned, a faint flush to his face, "Welcome back." Caty blushed, "Um…hi." Makoto laughed, almost dropping her bag, "I came to see if you wanted some lunch since you didn't take yours, but I see you have it covered." Caty blushed harder, rubbing her cheeks with both hands, "Yah…oh. Zien, this is my roommate Makoto. Makoto, this is Zien. We met at the hotel in the mountains." Something in Makoto's eyes flashed and her face grew a little dark, but her smile stayed as dazzling as ever. She shook his hand, "Pleased to meet you. Caty told me nothing about you. " She looked at Caty with a wink, "I'll see you at home later." She turned and left, leaving Caty sighing and sitting down, her head barley coming above the counter, "Jesus." Zien covered his mouth, laughing, "Well… maybe we can try that again later. We can lock the door." Caty looked up at him and shook her head, "You're so bad, Zien."

* * *

Life was as normal as it was going to get for a group of senshi. It was, until the antique shop was attacked. Later, Caty really wondered what had taken so long. That shop had been standing there longer then Usagi had even been a senshi on Earth. Caty was woken from a dead sleep by Sailor Jupiter. She blinked at the Amazonian senshi, her long curly hair and little rosebud earrings. Their change in appearance in one form didn't seem to affect the other, the girls happily found out. Though, Usagi had been a little disappointed Tuxedo Kamen didn't come out a blonde.

Caty rolled over and rubbed her eyes, "What…why are you in uniform?" She sat up as Jupiter turned her light on, "We need to go, Caty. Transform. The… Luna and Artemis were attack."

Caty was awake and up in an instant, pulled on jeans, "Please tell me this was a hate crime, Jupiter. Tell me it wasn't the Dark Kingdom and they found us again."

Jupiter shook her head, her arms folded over her front bow, "I cant, because that wasn't what it was. It was the Dark Kingdom. Usagi and Mamoru were there for dinner when it happened. They held off the youma. It…it.." Jupiter covered her eyes with one hand. Caty stopped her hasty dressing to look at the senshi of thunder, "It what, Jupiter."

"It killed Luna."

Caty felt numb as she held her sneaker in her hand, her night shirt half ticked into her jeans. She sat down, staring at the floor until the blurred. She finally closed her eyes and stood, "Crystal Crisis MAKEUP!" She yelled and in a flash, she was Sailor Emerald. She fisted her hands and looked at Jupiter, rage filling her eyes, "Lets go. Now." She strode to the front door and out, not caring who saw her as she walked down the apartment hallway. Jupiter followed after locking the door. Together they arrived at the Silver Moon Antiques Shoppe. The glass front was broke and it looked like a small fire had been set and put out. They strode through gawking neighbors and police. Usagi and Mamoru stood, Usagi sobbing into Mamoru's shirt as he held her. Artemis sat in a chair, his face pale and his eyes staring at nothing. His hands gripped the chairs arms, his knuckles white. Emerald kneeled in front of him as Jupiter talked to the police. She put a hand on his, "Arty."

His gaze shifted from the floor to her, "She's dead."

"I know Artemis. I know." Tear glistened on her cheeks but her eyes were still rage filled, "We'll find who did this. We will find them."

"It was Kunzite. I saw him… it was his youma. But I couldn't… Luna was… Oh God…" He covered his face with his long delicate hands and sobbed. Emerald stood, "Sailor Jupiter."

Jupiter turned from the police, "Yes, Sailor Emerald?" In front of authorities and civilians, they addressed each other as if they were in the Secret Service. All calm, business like, and not showing a bit of emotion. Robots.

"I have questioned the witness, I have a clue, and we should go now." she glances over at Mamoru who gave a slight nod. Jupiter nodded, saying something softly to the cop and joined Emerald as they strode away from the scene, "The others will meet us in the park, what did Arty say?"

"It was Kunzite."

* * *

In the park, they met with Sapphire, Ruby, Mars and Moon joined them as soon as she could get away from the police. Mamoru stayed with Artemis. The group of women stood in a circle, not saying anything at first. Mars finally burst, "I WANT TO KILL THEM!"

Emerald crossed her arms, "They have taken three of us. Now they have killed three of us and still one of us is missing in action. How much longer do we wait until we go after them?"

Sailor Moon, who still looked horrified with grief, shuttered, "NO!" She walked across the circle and slapped Emerald. Emerald reeled back, a hand going to her face as the smaller girl stared at her angrily, "I will not loose another friend! I will NOT!"

"And just standing here is helping anything! THREE, Sailor Moon, three of us has been killed! Or don't you remember finding Ami's body? He was missing and ARM! And Minako couldn't have an open casket! We still haven't found Erin yet! They could be doing God knows what to one of my best friends and you want to just sit around? Well I won't! I refuse!" Emerald turned on her boot heel and started to walk away. Sailor Moon raised her voice, "I forbid you, as princess of the Moon and next in line to the Moon Kingdom throne. I forbid you, guardian senshi Emerald of the Moon Kingdom. I forbid you to go after the Dark Kingdom to find them." Emerald stopped. Her shoulders shook with angry as she slowly turned, her face so rage filled, Ruby gasped, never seeing her friend this way. Sailor Moon's head was down, her hair covering her face. She was on the ground, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Emerald didn't move, she couldn't. If she did, something would seriously be harmed in her angry state. She stared at Sailor Moon, her jaw clenched,

"You forbid me? Then let another one of our friends die, Princess." She spat onto the ground. She turned and walked away from the group. From the park. Two AM saw her sitting on the rooftop of her apartment, as Caty now, looking over the city. She looked down at the item in her lap. It was the pendant that made her Sailor Emerald. She closed her eyes and put it in her pocket. She would have to find her friend herself. As Caty. Sailor Emerald could be no help to her now.

End Chapter Five

Changes


	6. Chapter Six

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Six

My Life for Yours

Caty sat across from Artemis. The large wicker chair was comfortable, and as out of place as everything else in the apartment Artemis and Luna had lived in for a little over 60 years. The two guardians of the young senshi had lived on the Earth, aware of who they are and what they came from for a little over 490 years. Before that, they couldn't remember what their lives were like. Now Artemis was alone for the first time since he could remember. He sat in a chair that seemed to be one large piece of wood with a high back. He was slightly slumped, his once shining silver hair a dull and greasy gray. His clothes, rumpled, slept in. His eyes were red rimmed and a fine stubble of beard covered his pale face. He was grieving hard for Luna, her funeral having been only a few weeks before. It was small, quiet, and the people present all cried enough to fill a bathtub twice. Usagi cried the hardest. Caty didn't cry. She never cried in public. Now she wished she had. At least tried to, for Artemis's sake.

"I would like to go back to bed." Artemis said gruffly. He had closed the antiques shop and became a hermit in the apartment above it where he and Luna lived.

Caty removed a file from the messenger bag slung across her shoulder and slid it across the glass top of the coffee table. He looked at it, but didn't touch it. "That's everything I could find for the Dark Kingdom. All of Ami's notes, and Luna's. The one thing I couldn't find was the location. Longitude and latitude. I want them."

Artemis looked up from the fold on the table and at her, his sky blue eyes bloodshot, "What would you do if you had them?"

Caty sighed. She really didn't know. She thought if she had every scrap of information she could get her hands on, she would be able to come up with something. Since she refused to use her senshi abilities, things would be rather harder for her.

"I don't know. I just thought… if I had everything…"

He nodded and closed his eyes, "That's what we thought, but it didn't really help that much."

He opened his eyes again, "You couldn't even get there under your present form, Caty."

"I know that!" She rubbed her face, lowering her voice, "I know that. Its just that… these damn little battles are stupid. Just hit and run, hit and run. The real war needs to be waged up there, where they are. I am not one to just sit around and wait… when Sailor Moon forbid me… Sailor Emerald, I mean, not to do something…" she sighed again, frustrated.

"She didn't forbid you to not do anything. She forbid Sailor Emerald from going to the enemy for a fight. You were angry, she was shaken. You need to understand that Usagi is a very loving person and when we loose people, when she looses people, it kills away a piece of her. She loathes suffering and seeing friends harmed, and it makes her do things don't seem right, she just wants to protect you."

"I don't need protecting, I need to kill something."

Artemis actually chuckled and then sighed, a flush coming to his face as if he did something he wasn't suppose to. He was quiet for a moment and then looked at her frankly, "If you really need something to do that's helpful. Why not find the Silver Crystal?"

Caty looked puzzled, "Uh, ok. It's with Sailor Moon. I win a cookie. Next assignment."

Artemis was still serious, "Actually, we don't know where it is."

Caty's face went to puzzled to pissed off in 2.5 seconds. She jumped from her seat, her face flaming red, "WHAT! What do you mean find the Silver Crystal?" She started pacing the room like an angry tiger, "Are you tell me that after all this time, the reason that the God damned Dark Kingdom hasn't been defeated is because you haven't found the GOD DAMNED SILVER MOON CRYSTAL!"

Artemis watched this, unabated, "That is exactly what I am saying. Luna and I have been searching for it before we even activated Sailor Moon and the others into action. We searched through Earth legends, records from the Moon Kingdom that weren't destroyed in the war, and even modern history. Luna and I had been looking in old records from the Moon about 6 months before we activated you. Before we found proof of the Guardian Senshi we…thought that… that you were fractured memories of lower power tiers of the Planetary Senshi."

Caty blew air out her nose, snorting, and dryly replaying, "Thanks."

"Well, what were we to think? The others remembered very little of you other then distant visits. You turned into legend. We were ecstatic about the proof the Guardians were real and we would get some help. We were also excited to see if one of you contained the Silver Crystal. Luna had a theory that the Queen, before she sealed everyone away and the Dark Kingdom, she had sealed the Silver Crystal within one of the subjects of the Moon or shattered it, hiding the pieces until it was needed again."

"Well I don't have it. But now I have a headache." She sat back in her chair, rubbing her temples. Artemis looked at her messenger bag that now sat beside her chair. He stared at the small mesh pouch that held her transformation pendant, "Its glowing." She looked down at it then sat back, continuing to rub her temples, "Yah, it does that."

He blinked a few times, "You're going to ignore it?"

She looked at him through slotted eyelids, "Yes? I'm on my own now Arty. If she was going to forbid me to try and save my friend, then Caty would have to try. But now this shit with the Silver Crystal…" She slumped back, rolling her head back. Artemis stood, angry, "Then why did we give you that crystal? Why did we activate you if you're just going to go rogue like a spoilt brat? They need help! Yes Sailor Moon is difficult, but she means well! You were angry! She was saddened by the death of her friend!" He heaved with anger, "Go…and…HELP…THEM!"

She only blinked and stood, "Yes sir!" She grabbed her bag and hightailed it out of his apartment, tossing her bag over her shoulder to get to the pouch. She drew out the pendant and as she ran into a back alleyway, put it on. She shouted the words and the familiar feeling of Sailor Emerald came over her. She was on a stone fence before she knew it, over looking the battle. She felt the rush she had been ignoring for the weeks since she and Sailor Moon had fought. The rush of being able to help others because it was the right thing in a form that could actually do something. She felt the strength, agility, and the power.

Looking down, Sapphire, Jupiter, and Moon carried on in battle with Nephrite and one of his minions. Nephrite had been one of the lesser of the evils of the Dark Kingdom. He seemed only about material possession and not about the big picture. The evil Queen seemed to only put him on tasks involving kidnapping people. Or maybe he had to, to collect the energy. They still hadn't figured out, or at least Sailor Emerald hadn't, why the Dark Kingdom needed the energy. Maybe it was to break the bonds of the universe they were trapped in? Maybe it was to free their evil Queen that used them all as puppets, like Caty had read in the Sailor Moon manga. She would have to ask someday.

Nephrite was laid out on a bench, they were at the very edge of the park, the youma fading in and out of the dark shadows of the trees. The moon overhead provided more light then expected, but it was still rough going. The youma seemed made of shadow. There were couples that littered the ground. Out for a moonlit stroll and get your energy sucked out of you. Sailor Jupiter incinerated a large pine tree with her Oak Evolution. No one noticed her, so she would take the element of surprise, jus the way she liked it. Sapphire used a wind tunnel attack called Hurricane Funnel as Emerald came around the wall of the park and slipped inside the park, slinking behind the bench Nephrite watched the fight from. Emerald noticed in his hand, a small crystal. So the manga had been right on that. Nephrite liked to use crystals to control or create his youma. Destroy the crystal, destroy the youma. She took this option with great exuberance, standing at where his head was on the park bench and kicking his hand. The crystal flew into the air and hit the pavement, shattering. Nephrite sat up, gripping his now broken hand. The youma seemed to disappeared like a puff of smoke and the three senshi, confused, turned to Emerald who held Nephrite in a choke hold. Sailor Moon strode forward, "Emerald!"

The tall senshi turned to Sailor Moon, a crystal dagger coming into the sight of the others, "An eye for an eye, Sailor Moon. That is what the Bible taught up." The blade's tip was pressed to Nephrite's throat, a thin line of blood snaking down into the collar of the dark gray uniform he wore. His auburn hair, long and wavy, was now tangle into Emeralds hands as she jerked his head back painfully, "Where is she, Nephrite?" Emerald talked through gritted teeth while her comrades stood, watching in horror. Nothing like this was ever in the manga. He opened his mouth then closed it, refusing to talk. His eyes darted from the small part of Emerald he could see to Sailor Moon and the others. Emerald pressed the blade harder, "Don't think I will kill you? I am not like THEM, Nephrite. I don't just fight off the youma and wait for another one to attack innocent people. I will kill you. You have killed three of my friends and countless innocent citizens of Earth. I am your judge, Nephrite. I am your Judge, your jury and your executioner. I am Sailor Emerald." She pressed the blade ever harder until a cold clear voice from the shadows on her left rang out, "Stop, Sailor Emerald."

She turned towards the voice, Nephrite still in her grasp as Kunzite stepped from a vortex of shadows. He stood tall, his silver hair gleaming to his waist. His black uniform trimmed in silver was clean and neat as a pin, as it always was in the Silver Millennium. A long black cape was pinned to his shoulders by silver fasteners and in the middle, a stone that was his namesake. His face was blank, free of feeling as he stared at his comrade and the senshi that held his life. Nephrite bared his teeth, "I don't need you to fight my battles! Did your pet Zoicite send you? Wouldn't let you back into his bed without a glimpse of me in humiliation?"

Emerald shuttered at that. So that's what had happened. Kunzite had taken Zoicite into his bed. They were probably lovers even before the war. They had used Emerald to get information about the kingdom. That made her seethe in fury and press the blade until Nephrite moaned. Kunzite didn't looked embarrassed at the accusations, or even look like anything but cold stone. He waved a hand and a portal of shadow opened in the ground. Up rose a stake and tied to it, was a weakened Erin. She was pale, close to death as she slumped against her binds. She was bruised and battered and Emerald was so overjoyed just seeing her alive. "A trade then?"

Emerald narrowed her eyes, "I demand satisfaction, Kunzite."

Kunzite looked from Nephrite to Emerald, no notion of recognition on his face. The thought crossed her mind again, they must modify memories in the Dark Kingdom. Or he just used her and forgot about her. That made her heart hurt worse.

"What is it that you wish, Sailor Emerald?"

Precise as always, he didn't beat around the bush. She could ask for anything now. She had Erin back. Her Erinchan. Sapphire, Jupiter, and Moon just stood by, gaping. She glanced down at Nephrite who shook, in anger or fear, she couldn't tell by the expression on his face. She looked at Kunzite, "Nephrites life isn't worth asking for you all to just leave Earth alone, is it."

Kunzite actually chuckled, "No."

Emerald shrugged the best she could, "Can't blame a girl for trying. I demand satisfaction from you, Kunzite, but now is neither the time or the place. When it happens, you will know. For now, as it stands…" She pressed the blade into Nephrite neck and carved a small letter E. She whispered in his ear, making him pale and then kissed his cheek. She pushed him at Kunzite. Kunzite stepped away from the portal leading back to the Dark Kingdom so Nephrite could stumble through it. Emerald strode to her friend, cutting her binds and catching her. She was so close to Kunzite, she could smell the cologne he used. He looked down at her as she gripped Erin. She looked up at him, her eyes stark with pain of love lost, "My life for yours, Kunzite."

He looked puzzled at this sentiment, then shook his head. He blinked at her and then stepped back into the portal. It snapped closed wetly and the others rushed forward. Sailor Moon kneeled by Emerald as she laid Erin out on the ground. Sapphire had faded back to Bonnie and was calling 911 on her cell phone. Sailor Moon was looking at Emerald, "Are you one of us again?"

Emerald looked at the blonde, "I have to be. Artemis told me you don't have the Silver Moon Crystal. No legs in an ass kicking contest, Moon girl. We need to find it. And fast. To do that, you need all the help you can get."

End Chapter

My Life For Yours


	7. Chapter Seven

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Seven

Lucky Number Seven

"Someone corner him OFF!" Emerald screamed as she came crashing through the bushes. Jupiter followed her closely, gasping as branches smacked her face. Emerald darted up into the trees as Mars and Sapphire running under them as they chased the youma down through a heavily wooded area of the park. Having taken advantage of a large group of people clustered to see the fireworks show, the youma had drained half the crowd before Caty and Rei noticed what was happening. Kicking themselves, they called backup for the now engorged and heavily armored youma. They had chased it through the wooded area, loosing it and finding it in the bright moonlight.

It had been a week since Erin had been returned from her ordeal in the Dark Kingdom. She was recovering in the hospital, malnourished, a few cracked ribs, but otherwise fine. When she actually woke from her 2 day coma, she had wanted to kick some ass, ready to get back out on the street to find them. Through her healing abilities, she had been able to live when Minako and Ami had expired. It had hurt to see them tortured. It had strengthened her resolve to live, if only for revenge.

She was due out of the hospital tomorrow, and her friends would all rally around her, one half of the senshi teams full and complete. They would visit the graves of their friends and wish them well, wherever they were. Currently, though, Emerald called upon her sword as she headed off the youma and Sapphire unfurled her fan. Blasting the youma into a tree with her wind tunnel, Emerald beheaded it while it was stunned. It fell to dust, releasing its captive energy. Jupiter panted as she came into the clearing, with Mars behind her.

"Jesus…Emerald…harsh much?" Jupiter said as she bend over her knees, resting her hands on them to catch her breath. Emerald looked coldly at the ashes, "I will kill each and every one of these I can until my sword kisses Beryl's chest." She turned towards her friends and smiled, "Who's hungry?" She faded back to Caty and tramped past the senshi and through the brush. Jupiter shrugged and Sapphire followed, Mars stood gaping at the girls, "What a nut case!"

They found Usagi and Mamoru at a cotton candy stand. Usagi turned, asking how it went. Makoto made a cutting motion across her throat and winked. Caty popped to the game stand next door and bought a turn at the balloon pop game. The fair where the fireworks show was set had mostly cleared out after the youma attack, so it wasn't hard to find their cars when they left. Caty had bought a small Toyota Yaris with the money she made from the bookshop. She felt she needed a car so she wouldn't have to have Mamoru cart her and her friends around all the time. Bonnie and Makoto piled into her car as she tried to stuff a giant stuffed bulldog into her trunk. She finally got it in and popped into the driver's seat. Mamoru had taught her how to drive and when she had emailed her mom about the accomplishment, she could almost hear her mother jump for joy. She found it super easy, especially in the city. They pulled out of the fairgrounds and sped off towards the city lights. Makoto recapped the battle with the youma as Bonnie dozed in the backseat. Caty listened with half an ear as she flipped through radio stations. The lamps passed shadows through the cab of the small car, Caty turned onto their street, looking for a parking spot. Makoto pointed one out and Caty pulled in. They unloaded and marched up their apartment, Bonnie staying the night so she and Makoto could get an early start on some volunteer work they had at the Crown Karaoke Bar. Caty fell into bed, dreaming weird dreams.

* * *

Eating her breakfast in the bookshop, she was reading the paper when she found it. She half choked on a piece of toast as the stark Japanese characters screamed out to her, "Identity Of A Sailor Senshi Revealed!" Caty skimmed the article and almost fainted. Glaring out at her was her name. She was breathing hard as she gripped the paper in her fist and looked around wildly for the phone. They had pictures! Addresses! She found it and frantically called Usagi.

"Mushi mushi?"

"USAGI! The paper…In the paper! OH GOD!"

"Caty? What's wrong? Caty? Caty? Mamoru! Something's happened to Caty!"

Something indeed had happened. Caty stood at the counter of the small bookshop, the phone at her ear as she stood staring, wide eyed and mouth open at Kunzite who stood at the counter. He was smiling, smiling in a way she didn't care for. His long silver hair glistening over his shoulders, his gold yellow eyes piecing into her own muddy green. He licked his lips into a smile that one never should see in close quarters. He held a copy of the paper, opened to the article. His gloved hand holding it delicately as he leaned forward, "I know where you are now." She could smell the death in his voice as she closed her eyes and stumbled backwards against the wall. The counter was gone now and he advanced forward, "I know where you are…"

* * *

Caty sat up in bed, sweating heavily, her hair plastered to her forehead and back of her neck. She couldn't read the clock, her glasses laying beside it. She got out of bed, trembling as she stumbled out into the dark hallway. She turned on the light to the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet to evacuate what was left of her supper. She flushed the toilet and leaned back, against the wall trembling. It had to have been a dream. It had to be. She pulled her knees into her chest and folded her arms over them, resting her forehead onto the clammy flesh. Bonnie stumbled into the doorway, blinking at the bright light, "Caty, are you ok?"

Caty looked up, "Yah… I just had nightmare. Its ok…"

Bonnie nodded and went back to her bed on the couch. Caty turned off the light and went back to her bedroom, sitting at the foot of her bed, rubbing her forehead, "God help me…"

* * *

"It was just a dream, Caty." Artemis was actually talking to her now. They sat alone in his sitting room. He looked better, his cheeks a little flushed, his hair washed, and the apartment was clean. Caty was glad to see it. She wouldn't tell anyone else about her dream, but Artemis was different. He needed to know just in case it meant something.

She stood by a statue of a roman legionnaire, looking at it's face, "I know, but it was so REAL, I mean I remember the damn smell of his breath and cologne, Arty. You don't normally smell in dreams. I checked the internet and the papers, nothing about me other then the stuff about Emerald. It seriously freaked me out." Artemis walked to her and took her hand, patting it, "Ok, I'll do a little research of my own, ok? See if there was a spike in negative energy last night, ok? Maybe they were just messing around."

"If they were, they are doing a fine job of it. I mean, what if they do know who I am?"

"I seriously doubt that."

* * *

Sailor Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby all stood around Erin. She stood in the middle of the group of women who held hands and looked like they were praying, heads down and eyes closed, quiet. The moon was full and fat and bright overhead as they stood in the empty field. Erin was still pale and weak, but was feeling better. Tonight, she would try to transform to complete her healing and see if she still had the sharp edge she was best known for. The senshi around Erin gathered their energy to aid her in her transformation. Erin had lost her pendent in the Dark Kingdom, but they thought, like Caty's first transformation, maybe Erin's could be pulled out. She stood in the circle, bundled in a blanket, her body nude under neither. Caty's transformation had torn her clothing to shreds and Erin wasn't willing for her clothing to be ruined since she made her own. The still night was hot, but around them the air was cool as the senshi started to glow. Their auras wound around them as they each raised their faces and opened their eyes. Their eyes glowed with the color of their auras. They opened their mouths and a slow drippy smoke snaked from them, reaching for Erin. She let the tingly smoke wash over her and she closed her eyes. She felt whole and pure again. She raised her arms to the sky, letting the blanket drop as her own aura filled the circle with a light purple light, blinding the other senshi. They could hear her through the light as they backed away, shielding their eyes, "Guardian Angel Make-up!"

The light faded and the others had to take a moment to still clear their eyes. When they did, where Erin had stood was something that they hadn't expected. Emerald was the first to walk slowly up to who she thought was her friend, "Holy shit."

She walked around the woman that had been Sailor Amethyst. She was still senshi, Emerald could tell that much from the fuku she wore. It was black, as it had been before. Her boots that had once gone to her knees know where at her ankles, a dark purple color and laced up. Her skirt was strange, not like the others, it was like it had been shredded. It reminded Emerald of the skirt Tinkerbelle wore in Peter Pan. It was dark purple on top and under neither it was lavender and amethyst, the shredded material being in layers. Her gloves where gone, she now wore black cloth that covered the tops of her hands and looped around her fingers and ran up to her elbows. Between the black material that covered her top and her skirt, three ribbons ran around to the back where an elaborate twist of ribbons sat where her bow once did. She still had the sailor collar that tied off at the middle of her chest with a pendent that was gold. In the middle sat a star shaped amethyst gemstone. There was no bow, just two ends of the sailor collar, like the ends of a ribbon. She had a purple colored choker around her neck with a smaller version of the star gemstone dangling from it. Her face was the same, her eyes closed. Where the tiara had once been now was just an oval of crystal. Amethyst crystal. Her hair hung in waves over her shoulder sand down to the small of her back with the streaks of purple, light purple and white. But what amazed everyone was what was on her back. Two great black wings. Emerald removed one of her gloves and ran a hand over one of them, "Oh my God…"

Amethyst opened her eyes, "Did it work?"

Sapphire bounced around her, "I'll say what are you now, Super Sailor Amethyst? Eternal Sailor? What?"

"Those ranks do not exist," Sailor Moon said as she walked around Amethyst, "But something does. The next level for a Guardian senshi?"

Emerald rolled her glove back on, "She did say Guardian Angel Make-up to transform, and we are Guardians. So. Angelic Sailor Amethyst?"

"I think just Sailor Amethyst would do," Amethyst said as she looked over her shoulder. She shook her shoulders and the wings disappeared, "I feel great, powerful. Not really different." She looked down at herself, "At least I'm comfortable."

"Well, lets try you out," Sapphire said as she looked down at her own bow where her pendant sat, glowing, "We got one."

The troops moved out, Emerald falling in step with Amethyst as they ran the few blocks to the youma attack. They entered the street where they had followed the signal and stopped. They didn't see anything to signify a youma attack. A small neighborhood block party was going on. Everyone stopped to stare at the senshi. A cheer went up and people gathered around. The heroes of the city! The Sailor Senshi! People pressed around, making the girls a bit nervous but signed autographs. Emerald murmured to Sailor Moon, "Where is it?"

Sailor Moon shrugged as she smiled at a little girl, "Beats me, Emerald. Maybe it was just-" The ground rocked sickenly as the asphalt blew upwards a few yards away. A great mouth with thousands of teeth rose from the hole like some grotesque flower. The mouth lowered to point at the large mass of people and it opened, a dozen small tentacles shooting out and grappling a hold of people, including the little girl Sailor Moon was signing an autograph for. Emerald called her sword and cut down the little girl before it made it to the mouth of the beast. It currently chomped on a screaming older gentleman, blood flowing down into the street. People scrambled. The other senshi stood, horrified, "COME ON GIRLS!" Emerald screamed, "Get it!"

Sapphire snapped to and waved her hands, her fans popping from thin air above her head and she caught them, making a running jump, cutting down a mother who held her child. She caught them before they fell to the ground and pushed them to safety. Jupiter and Mars led people away from the monster as Amethyst narrowed her eyes at the creature and opened her hands, palms up. In a flash of purple, she held a long spear. The blaze was almost long enough to call it a glaive. Using it in a slashing motion, she cut down two more people, Emerald working on her third. Sailor Moon caught the falling people and pushed them to safety. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, which worried Emerald as she got the last of the people away from the beast. It roared with having its tentacles cut off and rose from its hole in the ground. But it didn't raise on its own accord. Ruby was underneath and lifted. She screamed as she threw it out of the hole and it bounced on the ground, whining. Emerald and Amethyst advanced with Mars. Sailor Moon whipped out her Moon Wand. The beast used its remaining tentacles to right itself. It teeth filled mouth peeled back and rolled backwards. Almost inside out, it maid a wet popping sound and was gone. Sailor Moon stood confused, but Emerald was on guard. On the rooftop, Zoicite laughed. His cruel and loud laugh filled the air, making Emerald's blood run cold. He appeared on the ground in front of the others, "Good show!"

Emerald bared her teeth, but Sailor Moon put a hand on her shoulder, "What do you want, Zoicite."

"Just to see how your little Sailor did on her first night back." He turned to Amethyst and winked. She turned pale and rigid with memories of torture. Zoicite turned back to Emerald, "Cheeky girl." He winked, "Well, I do have to say she was fun, but the others were a better lay." Amethyst gagged, turning away as Emerald broke free of Sailor Moon and rushed at Zoicite, who had his back turned, looking at Amethyst. He was cackle as Emerald bared her teeth and took a step forward, prepared to run her sword through his back, but was stopped as he jerked, gasping, and jerked again. She watched as Amethyst threw her arm over his shoulder and pulled him forward so he was impale on the spear that now protruded from his back. His eyes widened and his mouth flew opened. The senshi gasped, watching the spectacle. Sailor Moon screamed as Amethyst whispered into Zoicite's ear, "She did well, Zoicite." She pulled her spear free, blood dripping to the ground as she jerked her hand so it flung droplets of blood on the ground and disappeared. Zoicite slid to the ground, still with Amethyst's arm around his shoulders. His eyes still wide as the purple senshi felt him shutter. He sagged and she stood back, the front of her legs covered in blood. As she looked up at her companions, she heard the wet snapping of a portal opening. A strangled sob fell from the mouth of Kunzite. He kneeled by Zoicite and looked up at the senshi, "WHY!"

Amethyst turned to him, "He hurt me, Kunzite. You watched him hurt me and kill my friends. This is what revenge and satisfaction looks like." Her voice was cold. Colder then the eyes she gave him, "He was a vile little shit and deserved to die for his sins."

Kunzite picked up the dead body of his lover, his face turning cold again. He stepped backwards into a portal and was gone. Amethyst fell to her knees, trying to strangle a sob. Emerald kneeled by her, hugging her around the shoulders, "Lets go home."

* * *

Zien held her as they lay in her bed. Fully clothed but shoeless. She pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his scent and tried to forget. They both were a little under the weather. Caty told him that she was at the street fair when the youma attacked and had seen what Amethyst had did. Zien had said a friend in America had died. They both needed a little comfort. They had a small supper and now just lay in Caty's small twin bed and listened to the CD's her mom had shipped from home. A song called The Silence came on and Caty closed her eyes, trying to forget. The pain on Kunzites eyes. She found herself crying in Ziens arms.

"Aw, Caty, what's wrong?" He stroked her hair and pressed himself closer to her.

"No…nothing," she sobbed, "Just the adrenaline wearing off I guess…"

He held her, trying to calm her as she tried to calm herself. She shook her head. Bad day at the office.

Makoto knocked on her door and opened it, sticking her head in, "Hey, Arty called from the bookstore and said that you need to go over there." She winked at Zien and closed the door. Arty from the bookstore was code for Artemis at the Antique Shoppe. Caty groaned and sat up. Zien leaned on his elbow, watching her put her shoes on, "Something important?"

Caty shrugged, "I probably just forgot to put some books away. Nothing big." She leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back and licked her lips, "See you for dinner?"

"Yah, bye babe."

* * *

"You're kidding." Caty stared down at the little stone on the table as Artemis was looking through some cabinets for something, "Not about this, Caty. Here it is!" He came back to the table where the novelty store crystal sat on the table. It was long and clear, a piece of polished quartz. He held a thick leather book and put it on the table, opening it up, "Nephrite gave me the idea. If the Silver Crystal is in someone, then this should light up like a Christmas tree if it comes near."

Caty snorted and poked it, "Sounds like you've been reading the Sailor Moon manga, Arty."

He looked over at a bookshelf where he happened to keep ever volume of the manga, "Hush and let me do this."

He took a pinch of salt and threw it over the crystal as he chanted something. Caty stood back, crossing her arms. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as Artemis stood back, nodding, "All done."

"That's it? That was lame, Arty. I was looking for lights and sparkles."

"Magic is very simple, Caty. Here."

"Here? What am I suppose to do with it?"

"Well, you're suppose to look for the Silver Crystal. Where it, maybe you'll get lucky."

"Well peachy keen. Thanks," she said dryly as she looped a piece of leather he gave her through a hale that had been made and hung it around her neck.

She went out to her car, and leaned against it for a moment, looking down at the stone that was no bigger then her thumb nail, but it was rather ugly compared to the teardrop shaped emerald she wore under her shirt. She got into her car and hung the crystal from her rearview mirror, "We'll try you later."

End Chapter Seven

Lucky Number Seven


	8. Chapter Eight

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Eight

The Day of No Tomorrow

It was suppose to be Usagi and Mamoru's wedding day. They had planned it even before Caty and her friends had been found in Artemis's archives. No, today was a day mourning. Caty stood at the graveside of one of her friends, her jaw tight as she let the rain pour over her face, plastering her hair to her head and shoulders. Zien had tried to put an umbrella over her, but she wouldn't let him. She wanted the rain. She wanted it to wash away her sadness. She couldn't save Rei. She blamed herself for the death of the Fire Senshi. Usagi sat at the other side of the grave with Mamoru and Makoto. The last of the planetary senshi. Bonnie, Lauren, and Erin stood at Caty's back. Erin wasn't crying, but with this rain, it was hard to tell who was. She knew Lauren was by her whimpering. Erin never tried to hide she didn't like Rei. Now, Caty wondered how she really felt. The gravestone was pretty, granite, and set to rest next to Rei's parents, who had died when she was younger. The service came to a close and everyone shuffled off to go to the wake. Caty let Zien pull her to the car. She sat in the passenger seat, watching the water drip from her bangs onto her lap. Her glasses started to fog as Zien turned on the heater.

He looked over at her, starting the car and letting it run to warm the car up. He took her hand, squeezing it gently. A caring gesture when he didn't know how else to comfort her. So many of her friends had died. He had yet to ask how Rei had died. He knew it was in a monster attack, but the details were lost. The radio had come on and Caty looked at it as Depeche Mode's Precious wheezed from the tired stereo. She turned the radio off and wiped her glasses on her black blouse, but it only smeared the water. Zien gently took them from her fingers and wiped them with a dry handkerchief he always seemed to carry. She closed her eyes to the clean and warm smell of fabric softener, old spice, and something else she couldn't place. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, smearing her mascara. Zien passed her glasses back, "Where do you wanna go, Caty?"

She shook her head, trying to talk. She found her voice, "I don't care. Anywhere but the wake. I can't face them right now." She rested her head against the cool glass of the window as he drove out of the cemetery. They were on the highway heading to his apartment. She didn't say anything. She had been there a few times, but didn't feel comfortable staying for long periods. This had been her real first relationship, ever. So she wanted to take it slow. They had been going out for months now and had yet to have sex. Zien understood. Caty wanted to wait. What she had was precious and wanted it to be special. She was 22 now. She knew what she wanted and Zien liked that. He parked in front of his building and led Caty inside. They entered his small, but roomy apartment, removing wet coats. She sat on the overstuffed couch, folding her hands in her lap and letting her wet hair fall into her face like a curtain. Zien's apartment was small, like all apartments in Japan. He just lived there so it was basically a shoe box. His living room was also the kitchen and he had a bedroom and luckily his own bathroom. He was American, so he didn't like those apartments with communal toilets. He came out of the bathroom with two great fluffy towels and laid one gently over Caty's head. She took it, rubbing her hair, "Thanks," she said, the sound muffled by the terrycloth. He sat beside her on the couch, patting his face dry, he had changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt that had his Boston university logo sprawled across the front.

She pulled her towel over her shoulders and looked at the floor. He looked over at her, leaning forward on his knees, "You need to talk about it."

"I know… It's hard. There's… A lot you won't understand."

"Want to try me? I've seen a lot of things in my 26 years of life."

She turned her head to him, to see if he was joking. His face was sad, making her want to know his secrets. But she had her own. She didn't want to add to that collection. She looked back at the floor and breathed in, "I feel like I've known you for years. I need to tell someone about this… its like… lets say I know how Clark Kent feels?"

Zien raised an eyebrow, "You're Supergirl?"

Caty leaned back, "Close. I…" She looked at him, "I'm Sailor Emerald."

Zien sat back also, his mouth opening a little as he blinked, "You're… Sailor… A Sailor… One of those fruit cake girls that protect the city?"

He shook his head, trying to clear that information into something he could understand, "Sailor Emerald?"

Caty nodded, "Sailor Emerald." She pulled her necklace from under her blouse. The emerald star hanging with the little smiling sun her mother had given her when she was 18. He looked at it and then into her eyes. He took her hands as she turned her body to face him, their knees touching,

"I'm so happy you felt you could trust me with this secret."

He smiled at her and she smiled back, "You don't think I'm a Looney Toney then?"

He shook his head, gripped her hands, "No."

"Zien…" She pulled at her hands, her jaw tightening as her brows furrowed, "Let go, you're hurting me."

"Hurting?"

He stood, yanking her to her feet, "Hurting you?"

"What the hell!" She felt something change in the air as she struggled. The air was thick as she blinked her tearing eyes, "Let go!" She kicked at his shins. He gripped her wrist now, she felt something tearing inside as she tried to brake his hold, "Zien, let go of me, NOW!"

Then, she saw it. His face had changed. His eyes were blazing hate now. His hair fell around his face, which wasn't the strong boned American she knew. It was softer and more feminine.

"Zoicite…" Caty breathed before she passed out.

* * *

It was dark and cold. Colder then it had been, but she knew she wasn't in Tokyo anymore. Stupid stupid girl, she shouldn't had said anything. She sat in the corner, curled up in the dark stone cell she had been tossed into. She didn't know how long it had been, but her body told her it was at least a day. She was hungry and had to go to the bathroom. Bathroom first, food later though, she thought, trying not to go mad from the quiet that closed around her. She had walked around but after she found one of Ami's earrings, she just wanted to curl up and sob. She stuck the little aquamarine earring into her pocket and sat in the corner. They had taken her necklace. She might be able to transform without it, like before. But that had been hard on her body and didn't want to risk it if she was stuck here. But it was an option if they drove her to it.

Somewhere a door opened or something shifted, she couldn't tell in the darkness. Kunzite stood in a sliver of light looking down at her. His hair glinted, silvery white. She could see his eyes filled with confusion and maybe hatred, she hadn't got good at reading people that well yet. Her arms folded over her drawn up knees, she looked up at him through the curtain of hair she used to hide her face. He wore his uniform, slightly different from the one he wore while in league with Prince Endymion. Soft gray breeches tucked into high polished black boots to his knees. A white dress shirt under a gray coat that fell past his waist. A high polished steel chain draped across his chest from one cape clasp on his left shoulder to the other. He didn't wear armor, she saw. Maybe he didn't think he needed, coming to see her. The helpless human female. She pushed her hair from her face, getting a clearer view of him, as much as the darkness would allow anyway.

"Come to see the freak show?"

He didn't say anything. Nothing to her needling remark. His face was still the stony coldness as it was every time she saw him. Except when everyone thought Erin had killed Zoicite.

"How's your lover doing?" She asked, not bothering to cover the poisoned tone of hate, "Did Amethyst make him a woman? Hm? Or could you not find anyone quite like me you had to turn to men?"

That did it. She was on her feet as he angrily pulled on her arm, gripping the bicep in a hold that would have seriously hurt her if she hadn't started working out to shape her body. His mask fell away to one of heated anger, "I don't KNOW you, but you haunt my dreams. You are the enemy!" He pushed her away and she laughed, "Boy did they do a number on YOU!" She laughed, walking in a wide circle, rubbing her sore arm. That would be a nasty bruise, she thought as she said, "You don't remember do you? "

"I remember killing Sailor Emerald on the moon. Somehow the bitch came back."

Caty snorted, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, "He calls me the bitch." She looked back at him, "My Life for Yours, Kunzite. You don't remember that? Of course you don't. I'm not surprised." She walked around him slowly, "We were lovers. Well. You and Emerald. In this time I am Catherine. Nothing can change that. I am who I am, not who I used to be." She stopped, holding her head. What was that? She didn't mean to say that. She shook it away, "On the Moon, the Silver Millennium. I was guardian. You were guardian." She shrugged, "It happened more then once. A kiss here, a night together there. Plans to be together after the Prince and Princess wed. And then you had to go and play house with Beryl." She spit at the name and came to rest with her back in her corner.

He had followed her path around him and he finally settled his eyes on her as she settled back in the corner, "Lies. I would have remembered you…Emerald. Surely."

"Not really. My memories haven't been altered."

"Mine haven't." He spat.

"Why do you dream of her then? Not those funny dreams when you fly and kiss bears, I bet." She crossed her arms, "Dreams so real you feel that real life is the dream, that you're dreaming you wake up, huh?"

He blinked at her and then turned, disappearing into the shadows. She slid down the wall and curled up again.

* * *

Was it tomorrow yet? She didn't know or could be sure. There was no time or space in this universe. She could feel it. She was ravenously hungry. How long could a person go without food? Longer then without water, she knew that. She was so thirsty it hurt to swallow, or would hurt if she could. She blinked slowly at her watch. A thick banded digital she loved and had for years. It was dead now. In this place where there was no time. Having it made her feel better, though. Like there would be time again. Time to sleep. Time to eat. Time to write and draw and talk to her friends and see Zien. No. No. Zien wasn't real. Zien was just a figment. A hoax. She thought she had it figured out. Zoicite had needed to know where they were after they all split up and used the Zien disguise to find out. Come to think about it, they weren't too smart breaking up. More people died quicker then they had before Caty and her friends had shown up. They drop like flies. Somehow that made her giggle. When Kunzite came into the room, he found her in a fit of mirth that was frightening. She looked up at him from her corner, tears streaming down her face. He smiled,

"Given up?"

She coughed and wiped her face, "You're trying to break me then? No, I just thought of something funny." She stood, trying to straighten her crumpled clothing, "I have a question though."

He waved a hand as if to say, ask away.

"Was Zoicite pretending to be my boyfriend the whole time? I mean, if he was, bully for him, he can actually pull off being a man. Didn't think he had it in him"

Kunzite straightened, his face growing red, "Why you…"

She clicked her tongue, "Tsk tsk. No striking the prisoners, if that's what you had in mind. We could cause a riot."

Kunzite put a hand over his eyes and growled, "That wasn't Zoicite… It was me."

Caty widened her eyes and put a hand to her cheek in mock surprise, "No."

He blinked at her, "What?"

She shrugged, "Yah, I knew it was you. That last surprise though, was a loo loo. I think being tired and hungry makes me think clearer... clearly...is clearer a word? I don't think so...it doesn't sound like a word." She started to walk around him in a circle, "Yah, i knew. I mean, come on. Zien Kut? That's an anagram for Kunzite, you boob. You shouldn't have spelled it, unless you meant for me to figure it out. Because if you were, you must think I'm mental retarded or something. Why was Zoicite pretending to be Zien?"

Kunzite turned his back, "He wasn't. Zoicite is dead. That was a youma Zoicite had made to look like Zien. It changed its facial features to surprise you. It had… come to call me back to the Dark Kingdom when I went into the bathroom to get us towels. It took my place."

She blinked at him, "You knew all along who I was. But you didn't give us away."

He turned, "I was taking my time."

"Time to kill each one of us off. You must find that we Guardian Senshi don't die so easily, hm?" She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, "Bastard."

Kunzite sighed, "Well… Here then. I came to give you this." He held out his hand and she looked at him wearily as she took a small object from his hand. It was a small rose shaped earring. She blinked at it. It was pink, a delicate porcelain that was well taken care of and very old. Makoto's favorite earrings. She looked up from it, blinking at him, "You…"

Kunzite turned and was gone as Caty screamed until she couldn't breath.

* * *

Only Usagi was left. Usagi and Mamoru. Lauren, Bonnie, and Erin rallied around them as they buried another of their friends. Caty was still missing after weeks of searching. They knew she left with Zien, who had disappeared also. They had checked his apartment, finding traced of negative energy. Something fowl was in the works. The remaining senshi sat around in Artemis's shop as Usagi and Mamoru talked with the white headed advisor. Finally, Usagi turned to the others, "We need to act. If any more of us are killed… we will not be able to defeat the Dark Kingdom. With or without the Silver Crystal… we will have to face the Dark Kingdom head on."

Bonnie stood slowly, "Usagi, that's suicide."

Usagi looked at Mamoru, holding his hand for support, "It's all we can do for now."

They left the small shop and went home. Each reading themselves for what lay before them. The day seemed to never to fade into night. It was tomorrow before they each knew it, and tomorrow wanted to bring them closer to their deaths.

End Chapter Eight

The Day of No Tomorrow


	9. Chapter Nine

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Nine

Sailor Teleport

She was shaken awake. Kunzite kneeled by her, holding a glass of water to her parched lips. She drank slowly, coherent enough to remember if she drank too fast after so long without water, she would be sick. The precious water couldn't be wasted. She sipped, moaning, as the water burned down her throat. She opened her eyes and winced at the brightness of the room. It was slightly dim, like dusk at sunset, but it was brighter then it had been. He helped her drink slowly and she finally found her voice, "What's happening?"

It was a croak and it hurt her ears to hear it. She could smell herself and it bothered her. She didn't like being able to smell herself, it made her think of the very heavy people that had their own scent when they moved a few feet and started sweating. She shuttered in Kunzite's arms, making him look alarmed.

She squinted at him, "What are you doing here? Weren't you trying to kill me slowly? Wasn't this the point of the whole exercise?"

"Things have changed. There's… been a balance shift. Beryl is making plans to march on Earth in a few hours."

"And?" She struggled out of his arms and leaned against the wall, head against it. She closed her eyes and sucked on her back teeth in thought. Ok, so that was what that tremor was she had felt a few hours…days… ago, had been. It was probably the preparations. Why would Kunzite come down here though? She was the enemy. Unless… She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You're defecting."

He looked uncomfortable, "I'm not. I've been…doing some…thinking. These last couple days. Actually since Zoicite died. I cornered Jadeite and made him tell me… Zoicite's compensation for joining Beryl was…me." He blushed and rubbed his nose and Caty looked at him, blinking a few times, deciding what to say next.

"Well," she said at last, "Can't say I'm all that surprised. You remember things better now, though, don't you. That's all that matters. You're returning to what normalcy you had before that bitch arrived. You can help us, unless… you had other plans?"

She was remembering something she had seen in the PGSM. The live action Sailor Moon. Erin had sent her a few DVDs of the show and Caty had watched it, reminded of the Power Rangers and lame fighting scenes, but it had it's moments. She remember now how Kunzite, in the show, had betrayed even Beryl for the power of the Dark Kingdom. She looked at him queerly, waiting for an answer. He looked uncomfortable and stood, "Um…"

"Kunzite!" Nephrite stood in the doorway, looking disheveled and blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He looked darkly at Caty before stalking to Kunzite, "Beryl is looking for you, we are about to march, what are you doing here?"

Kunzite looked from him to Caty and then back, "I was going to kill her so she wouldn't be able to help her friends. These things always have a way of happening." Nephrite nodded, "I know what you mean." He looked at Caty and then an idea crossed his face, Caty could actually see the cogs turning in his head before she noticed that he held a piece of black crystal like a dagger in his left hand, "Let me help."

He lunged at her. She was weak and unable to move. She screamed hoarsely as she felt the crystal sink into the flesh of the back of her upper right leg. She sobbed and crawled away. She turned, looking up at him through a curtain of her hair. Panting, she scrambled for something, anything to defend herself as Nephrite leaped at her again, madness in his eyes, his auburn hair a wave of darkness in the dim light. She squeaked and braced herself for whatever would come her way, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes, looking up at Nephrite standing over her, limp, his eyes open wide in shock. It took a moment before she saw what she was seeing. Kunzite stood behind the smaller man, his arm over Nephrite's shoulder and chest, bracing him against him. Nephrite gave a shutter and fell to the side, leaving Kunzite standing with a bloody dagger in his hand. He leaned down, wiping it on Nephrite's uniform and slipped it back into his boot. He hauled Catherine up and through the door of the cell. Into a long hallway of darkness. Caty couldn't see, but Kunzite apparently could as he pulled her along. They walked for what seemed like a half hour before he pulled her into a large chamber. She looked around and blushed. It was his sleeping chambers.

"Kunzite?"

He ignored her as he went for his dresser, rummaging through the drawers. He was throwing pieces of clothing willy nilly as Caty stood awkwardly near the door, rubbing the arm he had pulled. She was feeling slightly stronger and getting better all the time. Had something been in that water?

A chuckle behind her made her blood run cold as she jumped. She looked behind her and moved back as Jadeite leaned against the frameless doorway twirling her necklace around his index and middle fingers, "Looking for this, Kunzite?" He was cold. His eyes and manner so hatefilled, Caty turned away. He was dressed as she remembered, dark charcoal gray with red trim. His short hair a brillian gold. More gold then even Minako's hair had been. Caty groped for the bedframe as she felt her back bump into it.

Kunzite turned and straightened, "Jadeite." He saw what he was swirling in his hand, "This is madness, give it to me." He moved forward, hand out. Jadeite pulled his hand back, "No no. I don't think so. After all these years, I have something on you. Beryl will love me. I will lead her armies across the Earth and solar system, finally achieving what I deserve."

"Yah, a kick in the ass, buddy." Caty snaked around Kunzite quickly and delivered a kick to Jadeite's manhood. Jadeite clutched his privets and fell to his knees, whimpering. Her necklace still in his hands as she bent down, "Give it to me!" She saw blood trickling from his palm and smiled. The emerald star points were sharp. If one wasn't ready for the sharpness, it would hurt. She learned that the hard way the first few times after she got the emerald. 'I feel better now,' she thought. Jadeite's hands braced on the floor as he tried to breath through the pain, she brought her foot down on the hand that held her necklace. He screamed and she put her foot into his face, feeling his nose brake. She gave a mental thanks for her leather Mary-Janes with the chunk heel. Jadeite lay, panting and moaning in pain as she pried her necklace from his grasp and saw it was only the sun charm, "SHIT!"

Kunzite came to see what cause her to shout profanity. He gritted his teeth and kneeled by Jadeite, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, "Where IS IT!" Jadeite giggled through the bloody mask that used to be his face, "Beryl…"

Kunzite closed his eyes and pulled Jadeite further from his laying position. He gripped the front of his shirt harder and pulled Jadeite forward and then whipped his back against the wall. His head smacked the cold stone walls with a wet muffled sound. He did it again and then shook Jadeite backward and forward roughly. Finally, he put a hand to Jadeite's forehead and pushed, hard and viciously. Kunzite stood, shivering with anger. Jadeite's body slid sideways. The back of his head was slightly caved in and as his head his the ground, a few bone fragments clattered wetly on the stone floor, blood and gray matter oozed into a puddle out the back. Caty covered her mouth, resisting the urge to vomit. She had killed many youma, but this was different. Jadeite had been human. Well, as human as he could be. Youma were just monsters. Kunzite turned to her, brushing blood the best he could from the front of his jacket, "If Beryl has it…"

Caty grit her teeth and hardened her face the best she could, "I have to get it back."

* * *

Sailor Moon stood with Sailors Sapphire, Ruby, and Guardian Sailor Amethyst. They stood in a circle with Artemis and Tuxedo Kamen in the middle. Sailor Moon shook her hands out, "OK, in theory, this has to work. I read it in the books that Artemis had about space travel in the Moon Kingdom."

Sailor Sapphire raised an eyebrow, "Physics? You understood a book about physics? And what do you mean in theory? We aren't going to end up on Pluto are we?"

Sailor Moon put her hands on her hips, "Yes, I'm not as stupid as the manga makes me out to be. I think Naoko Takeuchi was just pulling all that out of her ass. Exaggerating on my zodiac characteristics just a bit too much." Pouting, she pursed her lips. Ruby rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Can we please stop this nonsense? Caty could still be alive. We haven't found her body yet."

"She's alive." Artemis said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"How can you be so sure?" Amethyst asked, holding her arms close to her body, hugging herself against the chill of the night.

"Because," He dug a crystal tied to a leather thong from his pocket. He held it up, it glowed in the shadows of the trees of the park around them, "If she was dead, this would be too. It's tied to her, if she carried it like I asked her to in the first place, she would have found out what it could. I tied its magic into her life force, to try and find the Silver Crystal. She would have been able to feel its pull." He stuck back into his pocket as Ruby smiled, "Ah so, Mastah-Sensei." She bowed to him then straightened, "You're too smart for you're own good, Arty. If that's tied to her, we can use it like a tracking dog and find her in that hell hole if they took her there. Lets do this."

The girls joined hands and bowed their heads, as they pooled their energy into what was called the Sailor Teleport. Artemis and Kamen looked a little uncomfortable, since the girls just stood there. A cool wind blew across them, making Kamen's cape flutter. Artemis scratched his arm. Kamen opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. He felt something. It was a thin heaviness to the air and the wind picked up. Ruby's eyelids fluttered. Amethyst's grip shifted from loosely gripping Sailor Moon's and Sapphire's hands to gripping them for dear life. Then the heaviness grew into a crackling hiss as the girls's hair started whipping around in the wind that has suddenly kicked up. At the same skin crawling moment, their heads rolled back on their shoulders in unison, and they looked up at the sky, eyes wide open and unseeing as the colored light of their auras filled them. They each started to glow faintly as the energy built around them. Tuxedo Kamen and Artemis stood closer together, back to back, unsure of what was really happening. And then it happened. The girls mouths opened in unison and they shouted over the crushing energy and the pounding winds,

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

And they were gone.

* * *

Kunzite had led them to the throne room, but they knew they were in deep trouble the closer they came. Not only could they feel the power of the throne room on the back of their necks as the hair there rose higher with every step, but youma kept running by them, gathering in the throne room in one huge mass of darkness. Caty pressed herself against the wall, her breath short and fast in painful fear. Kunzite leaned close to her, "Don't you dare panic now. If you want it back, you have to trust me."

She actually snorted at that, "Trust you. Right."

Kunzite looked at her darkly, "As far as you can throw me. Yes I know. Right now you do not have a choice. She has it and she's massing the army for the invasion that will happen anytime now. You need to stop her."

Caty didn't want to listen to him, but she knew he was right. She pushed him away from her, "Go then. I'll be fine right here. Fear wont let me move an inch."

He looked at her like he didn't quite believe her, but walked through the tall arches that led into the cavern that was the throne room. Caty peeked in, watching him move through crush of youma. They parted like the Red Sea to let him pass. She could see Beryl high up, trapped in crystal. Her heart flopped. Was that how she spent these thousand years? Trapped like some puppet? She had to be cold. Caty was freezing in her thin blouse and pants, having been wearing her funeral clothing these long few weeks. Was this what hell was like? She didn't get a chance to answer her own question as she spotted Kunzite stand before Beryl. She couldn't hear what he said, but it made all the murmuring the youma were doing, stop. She could make out a few words, but nothing that made sense to her. Beryl seemed to say something, because the crowd parted again and Nephrite was dragged in and supported between two youma. Caty gasped and covered her mouth. He was still alive! He was weak from blood loss, but alive. He was saying something and the youma stirred. She felt the negative energy rise off them like a wave. Someone grabbed her from behind and she shrieked. Struggling, a large shark like youma dragged her through the crowd and threw her in front of Kunzite and Nephrite. She sat on her knees, wincing from the stab wound on her leg that Nephrite gave her. She was reminded of it and the dizziness from blood loss. Beryl looked down at her with blind eyes, "Welcome, Emerald."

Catherine looked up at her, "My name is Catherine."

Someone hit her, sending her sprawling onto her side. Her left side of her face a bundle of hurt. She slowly sat up, hunched over, holding her face. Kunzite was silent. Caty didn't dare look at him.

"So you are alive. After so long. It seems that only two people really remembered you after so long. A pity, isn't it Emerald? No one to remember your victories? You're family? Friends? Speaking of which. Yours don't seem to care too much for you."

Caty looked at the air between her and Beryl. It shimmered into a picture of Usagi at a wedding. She was getting married! It changed to Bonnie in a college class. Then to Erin sewing up the back of some piece of clothing of a dressmaker's dummy. Then it was Lauren, on a horse on her farm in Virginia. Caty blinked. This woman didn't know her at all. Her friends wouldn't abandon her to these freaks. Her Senshi would fight for her. Caty smiled, "Nice trick. Get ESPN on that thing?"

That earned her another punishment smack from the shark youma. She grit her teeth, closing her eyes. It hurt. She felt something crack in her cheek. Maybe her nose. Another hit and her cheek would break or her nose.

"Still a smart mouth. Like you always were," Beryl said with an edge of hate in her calm voice, "You may as well give up now. Emerald. You have lost before you even started."

Caty saw a small bubbled floating at Beryl's chest. It held her emerald star. She blinked. It seemed to be feeding her power. Good God, it was giving her power! Caty felt sick. Her own gifts being use for such perversion. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking. She couldn't let that happen. She placed her hands to the smooth floor of the cave, searching as she pretended to sob. She gave them what they wanted to hear as her hands groped slowly for something. She said she hated her life. She felt weak. She was angry for loosing her friends. She wanted power. She caught movement near Kunzite. He kicked something at her. A small stone the size of her fist. Yes! Caty gripped it to her as she struggled to stand. She stood and backed up slowly, still sobbing as she squeezed tears from her eyes.

"I want the power! I have been weak all my life! I yearn to be stronger!" She sobbed. She stopped by Kunzite, looking up at Beryl and hoping to God that her aim was good. Quickly, she sung back and threw the stone as hard as she could. Her aim was off slightly. The stone hit the tip of the star, but it flew off into the darkness. The room was dead silent and Caty could hear the star shatter with a pretty tinkling noise. The stone smacked Beryl in the face, making her head flop back with an angry thud on the crystal that suspended her. The youma of the room didn't move as Nephrite whimpered.

Beryl's head rocked back, looking down at them. Her face was half gone, sloughed off like so much rotted flesh. The Beryl they knew was gone and the darkness that was the Dark Kingdom remained in the simplified Beryl's body. Half her face grinned at the sea of youma. She moved, yanking her arms from the crystal that held the body. Kunzite pulled Caty back, away from the show, pushing past the stunned youma. They were halfway through the sea of bodies when a shattering scream of horror ripped the air. Caty looked back. She could make out Beryl's hands clenched to Nephrite's face, one thumb digging into his eye. Caty turned back, following Kunzite, whispering, "Hurry…hurry…hurry…"

End Chapter Nine

Sailor Teleport


	10. Chapter Ten

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Ten

Oh Crap…

"It's fricken freezing out here!" Sapphire rubbed her bare arms and stamped her feet as she looked around the desolate landscape of the Antarctic. Tuxedo Kamen draped his cape over Sailor Moon shoulders as Artemis showed Ruby how to use the tracking crystal.

"Stop bitching, Sapphie." Amethyst shivered, "Wait…" She turned from Sapphire and looked out over the landscape, "That darkness over the horizon…" She turned to Artemis, "That's where they are, aren't they? I can feel it, like a knot behind my stomach. A nauseas, sickening feeling."

Artemis nodded as he pulled a small white cell phone looking tool from his backpack, "Yes. We've been monitoring that area for many, many years. Luna is… was… writing up a time table. Projections to when we think that the Dark Kingdom would march. They have been massing an army for more then 100 years." He flipped the cell phone open and started to type on the keypad. Amethyst leaned over his shoulder, "Calculations?"

"Yes. It will take us about three hours to get there." He turned to the others, "They will probably have traps hidden within the parameter. Some of us won't make it."

Ruby took a deep breath as she tied the tracking crystal around her neck, "Arty, we've been ready since Ami, Minako, and Erin were taken. This is war. And we are gonna take those fuckers out."

Sailor Moon smiled in a way that was almost evil, "Come on girls."

* * *

Caty and Kunzite stopped around a corner. They had been running through the twisting passages of the Dark Kingdom for what seemed like hours. Caty's lungs burned and she felt like she was going to toss her cookies. And she did. She heaved a few yards away from Kunzite, hunched over, hands on her knees. She felt cool hands hold her hair back as she finished. She stood and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, "Sorry."

He shrugged, "It's ok. I remember what it was like to be human. As time passes, I remember more and more of my old life. I remember Zoicite taking me to this place in the mountains on a holiday for some fishing and then…a fog in my memory." He scratched the back of his head, "It's like… I am starting to remember you… I mean Emerald."

Caty nodded, thankful he distinguished her from her alter ego. She wished she had water as they moved on. They were working their way through the darkened tunnels to get to Kunzite's chambers to prepare to leave. Kunzite had a secret tunnel out of the Dark Kingdom. They turned a corner and she bumped into Kunzite as she stopped, "What the-"

A small squad of about 50 youma stood between them and their destination. Kunzite stood in front of Caty, clenching his hand. A dark energy sizzled around his closed fist and a dark purple sword of silvery steel and crystal appeared like a light saber out of Star Wars.

"Stay behind me, Caty."

"If I wasn't so weak right now, I would argue with you, Kunzite."

She backed away and ducked around the corner. Kunzite shed his cape for better movement. Caty couldn't see his face but she felt a shift of power surround him as he screamed and ran head on into the mass of youma. She blinked and already five were down. Kunzite hacked into the clueless youma, they fought lazily, sluggish. That confused her as she watched. Why were they so slow? Beryl? Maybe. After what Caty saw her do to Nephrite, she could be drawing energy from the youma. If she was, then the youma could be on a level Caty could fight. She ducked out from behind the corner and grabbed Kunzite's cape. She came up behind a large, very male, youma and tossed it over him. She drew up her leg and hit home. The youma crumbled, clutching his crotch. She brought the heel of her foot down into his face with all her weight behind it. Which was a lot of weight. She felt the facial feature give in a spurt of warm blood and she moved on to the next youma. Fisting her hands, she pushed forward, hitting a youma here and there as she pushed towards the door to Kunzite's chambers. She reached it, panting. She licked her knuckles, they were skinned and bloody, but she felt good. She felt stronger now and getting better every time. She turned, her tongue poking out of her mouth as Kunzite stood in the middle of the dead youma. The last few ran off as he turned to Caty, panting. His chest heaving, he flicked his wrist and his sword disappeared to wherever it went when not in use.

He moved towards her and she backed away. Her chest fluttered as he stood near her, putting a hand to the door. He looked down at her, just moving his eyes. She could smell the sweat and blood on him and the scent that was only his. She looked at him, blinking a few times to clear away whatever emotion had appeared there. She coughed and looked away from him. He pushed open the door and they moved inside, the door closing behind them. He started moving around the room, collecting items. She stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. She grimaced, Jadeite's body was still there, but someone had covered it with a sheet from Kunzite's bed. Kunzite rummaged around his dresser, or what Caty thought was his dresser. He pulled out a few articles of clothing and threw them at her, "You can clean up through that door, it will make you feel better."

Relieved, she moved into a large and spacious bathroom. She didn't think she had time for a bath or shower, so she ran water into the sink and grabbed a soft washcloth. She plopped it into the warm water and stripped herself of her filthy clothing she had been wearing since Rei's funeral. She scrubbed the grime from her skin and face, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She found what she thought was Zoicite's hair ties. He was right, she did feel worlds better. She hesitated to put her bra back on. It was sour with sweat, but if she was going to be running through the Dark Kingdom, she didn't want the girls to be bouncing around. She was American, she didn't have the advantage of no breasts like her Japanese counterparts did. She tucked the soft gray shirt into the semi tight breeches. They were comfortable enough, the shirt was a little big. She walked back into his chambers. He had stripped his outer jacket off. His back to her, she looked him over. His gray breeches tucked into knee high boots, a white dress shirt and a black silk vest over that that had thin red thread running through it in loops and curls.

He turned to her, "Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you for thinking of that. What's the plan?" She came and stood beside him by a small table. A map was laid out and he started to trace routes with his finger, "There are only a few ways out of the Dark Kingdom. She was massing an army, but now… she could just be going alone. Her energy signature is off the scale now. I believe Beryl's body is being used as a puppet for Metallia."

"At least I know what's going on, on some level. I read those manga…er…comic books when I lived in America. Before the others discovered me and my friends. Metallia the energy of evil that is the Dark Kingdom. I don't think how Sailor Moon defeated her in the manga will work here though. This is real life." She tapped her finger on the table, thinking.

"Do you know who the DD Girls are?" She looked at him with a sideways glance as he studied the map. He shook his head, "No. If those are some kind of people that worked for the Dark Kingdom in your book things, they don't exist here."

"Yah, they were the best youma of the Dark Kingdom. They picked off the senshi as they moved towards the Dark Kingdom to defeat Beryl. Damn it, if we only had the Silver Crystal."

He turned towards her slowly, "I'm sorry, I must be going deaf. Did you just say Sailor Moon, Princess of the Moon Kingdom doesn't have the Silver Crystal?"

She poked her index fingers together, "Yes?"

He put his hands under the table and lifted, tossing it like a tinker toy. Caty removed her glasses and started to clean them on her new shirt. Kunzite ranted and raved as Caty stood calmly in the middle of the room, cleaning her glasses. When he finally stopped, panting by the upturned table, she put her glasses back on and her hands to her hips, "Finished now? Because I already did that when I found out. We'll just have to go to plan B until the crystal is found. If its found. I have went over places it could be on paper, in my head, and I have questioned our mentor, Artemis up and down. The only conclusion I have come to is that its hidden within a former Silver Millennium subject. If that's the case, it could be lost to us already, because hundreds of former subjects came to earth and they are scattered all over the planet. Some haven't even been born yet."

Kunzite closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, "Alright. We don't have it then. That would have made things a whole lot easier. It's not like we can't do anything without it. We do have you and Sailor Moon. Not to mention Ruby, Sapphire and Amethyst. Speaking of which." He pulled a small round crystal from a pocket and started spinning it between his fingers. Caty smirked.

"Did you steal that from David Bowie and the Labyrinth, or did you think of that all by yourself?" He looked at her with a blank look on his face, "What are you talking about?"

She flapped a hand, "Never mind. Earth humor. Anyway, what's that circus act for?"

"Look." He held it out to her and she squinted. It was white, she figured it was his hand but them she saw someone moving. Several someone's. She gasped and grabbed the crystal from his hand, "Where are they!"

"Here. They are heading towards the Dark Kingdom. I picked up their signatures on my alarm system when you were refreshing yourself. I believe they will be at the gates in about an hour. If we can get to them before Metallia does, we will have a fighting chance."

Caty stared into the crystal, her chest fluttering, "Oh God…oh God…" She looked up at Kunzite, "We? I have no way of pulling Emerald out of wherever she is before I need her. Kunzite, I'm pretty much cannon fodder here. I can go out there and do my best, but I'll be dead before I can actually do something."

Kunzite paced around the room, thinking, "That's true. I hate to admit that, but it's true." He stood by his dresser looking at her, arms crossed. Brooding, he walked over to her and took her hand, pulling her arm out. He walked around her. Caty had a mental image of Lauren's father checking a new colt over, "Kunzite?"

"Oh, sorry. Well. We do have options. I could admit you into the Dark Kingdom. You could use that power for good."

Caty stared at him then snorted, "Next plan, buddy."

Kunzite rolled his eyes, "We're running out of time here, Caty. You're friends will come upon the gate any time now. They will meet the army and I don't think they could make it past square one, let alone inside to Metallia."

"Kunzite, I have to try and pull Emerald out. If I tainted myself with the Dark Kingdoms…power…whatever… I could destroy any hope of ever calling her again. Do you understand that? She's about my only option at this point." Caty sat on the bed and pouted, "Damn it. I thought finding a boyfriend was tough."

Kunzite snorted and began packing his person with weapons, "Humans."

* * *

"I will kill whoever designed these uniforms." The group of senshi stood before the large black gates that lead into the Dark Kingdom. They were plainly ornate with crude pictures of battles and demons killing humans. The doors stood solid in a canyon of ice at the end of a crevice. They were at least 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Wide enough for an army to march through. Ruby shuttered, "God, that's creepy. Arty, how's the key coming along?"

Artemis stood in front of the gate, one hand on it as he read through a book he had in his backpack. He licked his chapped lips and looked up at the others. Sapphire was cuddled next to Sailor Moon under Tuxedo Kamen's cape. Amethyst scanned the horizon with a pair of Sailor Mercury's binoculars. Artemis had kept them after her death. A cold wind had kicked up and they could all feel the dark foreshadowing energy that built around them. Kamen stood by Artemis, looking up at the doors. Arty looked over at Ruby, "I can't find the right spell, if there is even one. This gate might not even open for all I know."

The earth shook and they all stumbled back as the blackened doors began to quake. They slowly opened and the smell of sulfur and stale blood wafted out through them. Ruby caught a nose full and gagged, almost vomiting. Sapphire rubbed her on the back. Amethyst grabbed them, hauling the two women away from the opening doors and pushed them into the shadows. Sailor Moon, Kamen, and Artemis. Hid on the other side as the doors stopped about halfway open and as the group watched, the marching began. Eight across and 15 deep, youma marched in a rectangle formation. The first group marched out and on and another came out, then another. This went on for an hour, the senshi watching as the youma marched on into the white hell of cold. Finally, at the end, in a sedan chair carried by four very large youma, Sailor Moon peeked out and gasped quietly. Beryl, naked as a jaybird, was sitting like the queen she thought she was. From her side, Ruby gagged again, seeing Beryl and half her face missing, now rotting and gray at the edges. They marched away, the doors standing open. The senshi waited to come out of hiding and gathered at the open door.

"Oh my God. Did you see that?" Sapphire stared at Sailor Moon, "Half her face was rotted away."

Sailor Moon squinted out over the limited landscape, "We need to stop them. They are still in the canyon. We can create landslides and Ruby, you can put crevices into the earth to stop them. If that's who I think it is on the sedan chair, we can't stop her. Not right now. Come on, girls, move."

The three remaining crystal senshi nodded in unison and moved. Ruby whipped out her hammer and with a single jump, was up the wall and out of the canyon. Sapphire pulled out her fans from the secret space where all senshi kept their weapons and unfurled them. Gracefully, she drew her arms down and rose into the air like a bird. She landed on the opposite wall and started running towards where the army of youma disappeared. Amethyst turned towards Sailor Moon and saluted. She clapped her hands together, pulling them apart. What resulted was a long six feet crystal staff with a crescent moon of silver at the top and a sparkling amethyst. She stepped back to the icy canyon wall and seemed to fade into it like it was nothing but jello. Sailor Moon blinked after her. She shook her head and looked back at Artemis and Tuxedo Kamen, "You two go in there and find Caty. She could be in the dungeons. If you find her…or her body. I want it brought back. We will not leave her in there alone."

Kamen took Sailor Moon's hand and pulled her into a hug, "We won't leave her alone, Bunny. Go, and try not to get yourself killed." He kissed her gently and let her go. She closed her eyes, letting sparkling tears slip down her cheeks as Kamen and Artemis walked into the darkness of the gates.

* * *

Caty followed behind Kunzite in the darkness. He apparently could see in the dark, but being human, she couldn't. She stumbled around in the tunnel, cussing, until he took her hand to lead her. She saw the pinprick of light before she felt the blow at her back. She sprawled to the ground and rolled to the side, hitting the wall, the breath leaving her violently gasping for air. She heard a crunch and groped around for her glasses. She heard scuffling, someone cussing, a low moaning and suddenly there being light. She shielded her eyes, blinking and still gasping for breath. She could finally breath as someone helped her up. She knew it was Kunzite by his smell.

She squinted to see who it was, but finally stopped. Her glasses had broken, leaving her as blind as a bat. Literally. Blurs with vague shadowy outlines. Kunzite pulled her behind him, "Nephrite."

Caty gasped, having saw Metallia dig her thumb into the King's eye. She thought he was dead for sure.

"Well Kunzite, my loyalty to our Queen has paid off. I wanted to see you before I killed you. You and that senshi whore."

She tilted her head to the side. Something was wrong with his voice. It was lilting with hate and loathing. Now it was flat, almost monotone. She put a hand to Kunzite's shoulder, putting her head down. She felt so blind and useless, more then she had before her glasses had broken.

"I can see what she's done for you, Nephrite. A whole new man. Is that why she left you behind? I heard the rumblings. They are marching, aren't they? Why not go with them?"

Nephrite giggled, "Because she knew you would be here, Kunzite You are a threat now. You aren't King material. She always did think you weak. She didn't want to bring you in. You know Zoicite, though. His way or no way. Come on, Kunzite."

Caty heard the scraping of metal on stone and Kunzite pressed her to the wall and moved away. She slide down the wall, trying to make out what was happening. All she could see were two shapes moving in the light. Darkness on darkness and maybe a flash of what she thought was metal. Something hit the wall near her head. A wet something. She groped until she felt it. She squinted as her hands felt over it. She felt the wetness of eyes before she saw them. Screaming she pushed away, wiping her hands on her clothes. Someone grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to her feet. She beat her fists against him until he grabbed them, "CATY! Its me! For Heaven's sake, calm down."

Shivering, she pressed against Kunzite, "He…it… head…" He rubbed her back, "I killed him, it's ok. Can you see? What happened to your glasses?"

She wiped the tears from her face as she started to calm down, "They broke. I'm pretty much blind now. I feel like Velma."

"Who?"

"That's right, you don't know about Scooby Doo. Never mind. I'm blind, lets just leave it at that."

"No matter. We need to keep moving." He grabbed her hand as the light faded from the cavern, leaving them once again in darkness. He lead her towards the pinprick of light, his hand tight in hers.

* * *

"SONG OF THE HAMMER!" Ruby brought her the staff like hammer down on the cliff's edge and with the combination of Sapphire's Razor Wind, brought both sides of the canyon down around the second group of youma. The first and third group dealing with Amethyst's Living Crystal attack. And the last groups, about three of them, had Sailor Moon to deal with. Sapphire moved from her side of the canyon to help Moon with the last of the youma. Moon crumpled to one knee as Sapphire let out another Razor Wind to finish off the youma. Beryl was no where in sight. Ruby helped Moon to stand. Moon stumbled a few steps away, leaning down to vomit. Ruby rubbed her back, "You need to rest. If we are surprised by Be-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as two hands come up from the icy earth. Grabbed her ankles, It yanked. Ruby screamed as it pulled her into the ground where Sailor Moon had stood only seconds before. Moon gasped and grabbed her arms as Ruby was pulled into the earth. Sapphire was screaming something from the other side of the canyon as Amethyst ran to help. She slid like a baseball player to home, grabbing Ruby around the middle and yanked. Ruby popped up like a jack in the box and collapse onto Sailor Moon as Sapphire landed from the other side of the canyon, "What the fuck happened?"

Ruby lay on her back, panting, "Something grabbed me." Amethyst examined Ruby's ankles, there were dark indents in the leather of her boots, dirty and a little singed like from a great heated source. Ruby winced as she stood, "That sucked. But where I was standing was where she was. That's probably where Beryl went. Now that the army is defeated, we only need to worry about her."

"Ruby, the crystal." Sapphire picked the crystal off Ruby's chest. It was glowing. Ruby looked at the others, "Caty or the Silver Crystal is close. I can't tell which. Lets head back towards the Gate."

They had gone a few hundred yards when they saw it. Coming around a crop of glacier, they didn't understand what it was until their brains could catch up. The three Crystal Senshi stopped as Sailor Moon took a few steps forward. Beryl towered over the Antarctic as a giant. Maybe 100 stories tall, she stood on a plateau, her back to the senshi. Dark energy flowed around her like clouds. Her hands out, she gathered it to her. Sailor Moon opened her mouth, blinking, "Oh…crap."

End Chapter Ten

Oh Crap


	11. Chapter Eleven

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Eleven

It is Near the Ending

They finally came into caverns where Caty could see. As much as she could anyway after breaking her glasses. She squinted, looking around, "I swear to God, after this, I'm getting Lasic."

Kunzite, turning, looked at her puzzled, but knowing she couldn't see him across the small cavern anyway, shrugged and looked for the tunnel out.

"I thought you said the tunnel was in your room, Kunzite." Caty said as she felt along the wall.

"No," Kunzite sighed as he felt around the wall himself, "I said it was near my chambers. This is near. Stop whining. You're getting on my nerves."

Caty made an indignant sound and stopped, leaning against the wall. She folded her arms, pouting. She opened her mouth to argue when she perked up, her eyes widening, "I hear something."

Kunzite turned from his section of cavern wall, his sword appearing as Artemis and Tuxedo Kamen rounded the corner into the cavern, "I heard a female voice…Oh…" Kamen stopped, looking from Caty to Kunzite.

"Mamoru?" Caty asked, turning her head towards Artemis and Kamen. Kunzite strode forward, grabbing her, "Don't move."

Caty pulled at her arm in his grasp, "Will you stop? They won't hurt us, they are on our side." She jerked her arm from his grasp, holding her arms out towards Kamen and Artemis, "Mamoru? Is Artemis with you?"

Artemis strode forward, "Caty, what happened?" He took her by the arms and hugged her, also checking her over for injury.

"I'm ok. I just broke my glasses, you didn't happen to bring my spares did you?" She looked hopeful as she could actually see Artemis now, he was close enough. She felt a knot of panic untangle from her chest.

"No, but I did bring your sunglasses. Here." He pulled a glasses case from his backpack and handed it to her. She popped it open and took out the brown lenses. She put them on and sighed, "Thank you Jesus. And you too Arty. It's a tad dark, but at least I can see what I'm doing. Where are the girls?"

Kamen stepped forward, looking wearily at Kunzite as he came to Caty, "They went to stop the army from marching any further. They were coming through a canyon, stopping them in there was the best bet."

Caty nodded, "It is. They can cause a cave in. Pretty much stop the army cold in their tracks. Good girls." She rubbed her hands together in maniacal thought. She looked from Artemis and Kamen to Kunzite, "Oh. Kunzite, this is Mamoru and Artemis. Guys, this is Kunzite. He's a good guy now." Kunzite glared at the younger men. Kamen glared back. Artemis grit his teeth, "The past is the past. Right now, we need to stop Beryl."

"Uh…" Caty looked at Kunzite then back to Artemis, "She really isn't Beryl anymore. She's Metallia."

Artemis closed his eyes, "I thought I felt her. I felt her that day on the Moon." He opened his eyes and looked at Caty, "Why haven't you transformed yet?"

Caty looked down at her feet, "Jadeite took the emerald and gave it to Beryl. She was using it to feed her power before Metallia took over her body. I destroyed it."

"Caty, it was an emerald. That's second to a diamond. You couldn't have unless you smashed it with another emerald or a diamond." Artemis said as he stuck her glasses case back into his back pack. Caty stood there, blinking, "Uh… I thought I heard it break… What if it just dropped somewhere." She looked back at Kunzite, "I need to go find it."

Kunzite furrowed his brows, thinking, "It's unwise to split up, not with Metallia sneaking around. The Throne Room isn't too far from here." He looked at Caty, his face softening, "Come on."

* * *

"What the FUCK are we suppose to do about that?" Amethyst ranted as they hid behind the glacier, Sapphire peeking out, watching Metallia gather energy. They had come to the conclusion that it was no longer Queen Beryl. That was a very eye opening moment.

"Well, a 100 story tall naked woman is just around the corner, I could think of a few things to do." Sapphire muttered under her breath. Sailor Moon rubbed her forehead, "Crap, crap, crap… Ok…no…CRAP!" She sighed and rested her head against the cold icy wall, "I'm stumped."

Ruby was pacing back and forth, "Well… We could go find the others, regroup, and then try it?"

Amethyst looked at Sailor Moon, then back to Ruby, "What else do we have to lose?"

* * *

Kunzite peeked around the corner to the Throne Room, then motioned the others. They entered the large chamber, Caty blinking, "Crap, it's darker in here. Stupid sunglasses." She walked forward to where Beryl had been hanging from the ceiling. She noticed dark spots on the ground, ignoring them because she knew it was blood. She walked to a crop of stalagmites and got to her knees, feeling around with the ground. She came over several stone as Mamoru got to his knees. Artemis and Kunzite stood watch. She thought she heard it fall in a certain spot and then she saw it. A hole in the ground.

"I need a light!" She kneeled by the hole as Mamoru produced a flashlight. She took it and flashed it at the hole. She flashed it around where she was searching. Then back to the hole. She sighed and closed her eyes as Mamoru took the flashlight to look, "It's small. It could be anywhere."

Caty sighed and shook her head, "It's gone. It's gone, Mamoru. It may not have broken, but it's gone."

Kunzite came over, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. She stood, "Well, plan B."

"I figured plan B, anyway, Catherine." Kunzite said quietly as he led her from the Throne Room, "Things tend to disappear in this place if it isn't fixed to a person."

"Could have used that information earlier, Kunzite." Caty growled as they walked down the silent halls, Artemis and Kamen coming up behind them.

"Didn't want you to loose hope."

"Thanks for the thought, but now isn't really the time to waste what little time we have. Metallia is out there, doing God knows what."

"Well… We'll find out soon enough."

He held out one of his little crystal orbs and she took it, watching the movie of her friends moving through dark tunnels towards them. Even with her dark sunglasses on, she could make it out, "How close?"

"We should stop, they will be here in a few minutes if they keep on that course. They seem to be honed on you, Caty. A straight line from the Gates of Darkness to this spot."

"It's the crystal." Artemis came up beside Caty, looking into the ball, "Ruby has it. She's following it to you, Caty."

"Me? How me?" Caty looked at Arty, raising an eyebrow, "Like a homing beacon or something?"

"Pretty much. It has your aura on it. You wore it for so long…"

"Actually, Arty, I…didn't. Wear it, I mean. I put it on my rearview mirror in my car and kinda forgot about it…" She looked sheepishly at the ground then back at him. All she found was a mask of puzzlement.

"You didn't wear it at all?" Artemis's eyebrows were raised so high, they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline.

"No." She stepped closer to Kunzite to use him as a shield if Artemis got too angry.

"Then, how can they be following the crystal here? Unless… Its picked up on the Silver Crystal."

Caty's eye widened, "Oh God, I don't even want to hope. But if that's the case, that could save us all."

* * *

They waited, milling around. Artemis kept a good distance from Kunzite. The loathing and hate of what Kunzite did to Luna still fresh on even Caty's mind. But the time for revenge for Luna was later. They had to deal with Metallia first. Their waited was short, as the small group, panting, came around a corner. Minus one person. Sapphire was gone. Caty looked at her three comrades, "Where's Sapphire? We were watching you come in a crystal, where is she?"

Ruby's lip quivered, "We…ran into trouble in one of the tunnels. Metallia had a guard on her. One of them chased us here. He...it...got her...but...she took him with her, Caty." She smiled, "She took that bastard with her in a blaze of glory."

Caty felt the air go out of her lungs. She stood against the wall, "Oh God…oh God… Bonbon… No…" She started to quiver and Kunzite held her shoulders, "Catherine, breath deeply, slowly. This isn't the time to fall apart."

Sailor Moon went into the arms of Kamen as the others milled around closely. Caty blinked and nodded, "She…she's one of my oldest best friends. It hard, Kunzite. Ok… I think I'll be ok…" She sighed, wiping her eyes. Amethyst blinked, "Shh...Do you guys hear something?"

"What? That tapping noise? I thought it was Arty." Ruby looked over at their mentor.

Caty looked around, "No, it's coming from…the walls… Oh GOD!"

Pushing Kunzite to the ground, she closed her eyes and screamed, as the tunnel sighed inward around them and then implode in a shower of sharp rocks. Dust filled the air as one end of the tunnel caved in. Someone screamed. Heavy bars of metal shot through the stone. Caty wasn't sure who had screamed as the dust started to settle. She lay in Kunzite's arms, he was shielding her now, having rolled on top of her. Someone was laughing. She coughed, shaking. Kunzite stood, drawing power and the dust seemed to evaporate. Caty removed her glasses to clean them. She put them back on and braced her hands on the floor to get up. Her hand slid in something warm and wet. She looked up to see Artemis pinned to the wall, a bar through his middle, his right arm, and his throat. His eyes were half closed as he struggled to breath wetly. She shot up, crying hysterically as she tried to pull the bars away. Sailor Moon was sobbing over Tuxedo Kamen, who was half crushed under a boulder that blocked their way back through the tunnels. He was talking in a low voice to her. Ruby and Amethyst came to help Caty try and free Artemis. Caty listened with a half ear as Kunzite addressed the youma that had attacked them. They freed him and lay him out on the ground, gathering around him as he looked into their eyes. Amethyst gave a quiet sob as he mouthed something then he was gone. Caty asked quietly what he had said, unable to read lips. Amethyst who could, said, "He said…he said he would see Luna soon, at least." Ruby plucked helpless at his sleeve.

Caty felt cold inside. She turned to Sailor Moon, who was crying quietly now and cradling the now dead Tuxedo Kamen's head in her lap. Caty felt the cold rage trickle down her spine as she stood and walked to Kunzite. He held his sword, still arguing with the youma. Caty took the sword and ran the youma through. It blinked in surprise, but that was all. Caty pulled the sword free as the large youma got its wind back, black blood dribbling from the wound. He raised it's own weapon, a club with spikes around it. He looked like some kinda of trapeze artist in a violent shade of magenta. In some strange and calm part of her mind, Caty wondered if they ran out of youma ideas for this guy. She sidestepped back as he brought the club down and she brought the sword and pieced his side. In and out the blade came, while it was stunned, she brought the sword down and beheaded the creature.

Its head flopped to the ground and actually bounced a couple times before stopping. The body fell and Caty swooned. Kunzite caught her, taking his sword back. It disappeared as he fanned her awake. Ruby, Amethyst and Sailor Moon stood around him as he lightly slapped Caty's face. She awoke, and turned away, vomiting. Kunzite held her, rubbed her back as she did. Finally, she evacuated what bile she had left and weakly looked at her bleeding hands. The power through Kunzite's sword had shredded the skin on her hands. Ruby ripped cloth from Artemis's jacket to wrap her hands in. They were all silent, unsure of what to do next.

Finally, Amethyst realized why they could all see. Artemis had been carrying a lamp before, making it easy for that small group to see, and Ruby and the others were using the light of the crystal around her neck. With the lamp gone, the only light source was the crystal. She blinked a few times, looking at it to Kunzite and back, "Holy shit."

"What?" Caty said hoarsely.

"The crystal… its glowing." Amethsyt said as she looked at it.

Ruby looked down, blinking, "Wha… oh… OH… Oh man…"

"Did I miss someth-… Oh my God…" Caty said as she stood.

Sailor Moon looked puzzled then it caught on, "No, it's a joke…"

Kunzite blinked, "Uh…. Excuse me?"

Caty grabbed the crystal from around Ruby's neck and pulled it off, holding it out to Kunzite. It actually started humming.

"Kunzite, you have the Silver Crystal."

"That's ridiculous. If I had then… then I would have found out a long time ago." Kunzite scowled at the crystal then at Caty who still held it. He slapped her hand away, "That damnable thing is broken."

Caty picked it up from where it had fallen, "Artemis designed this himself, I doubt its broken. Anyway, it isn't like you have Syphilis, Kunzite. What I would like to know, how do we get it out?"

Kunzite actually backed against a wall, looking at them like they were all mad. Caty looked at him, "Oh calm down, you baby. We aren't going to slice you open and root around in your innards. Its probably hidden in your aura or soul or something."

"Mother would do that." Sailor Moon said, her eyes still puffy from crying over Tuxedo Kamen. Their loses would hurt them. Caty didn't think time would reset like it had in the manga and anime. Sailor Moon sat down against the wall, "I feel we weren't ready to be here. We lost so many of our friends already and now… now Mamoru is gone. My Mamoru."

Ruby kneeled by her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, "Usagi, this has to be done. I know it hurts. It will hurt for so long, but we are on this path for a reason. If we just stop and don't go on… Metallia wins and the Earth will die. We need to finish what we started."

Caty hardened her face. She wouldn't cry again, "Lets go. We need to get out of here. This place is a death trap. We'll think of what to do next as we move."

They were weary as they moved through the caverns and tunnels. They finally came out into the dim sunlight of the settling sun of Antarctica. Amethyst looked around, "The sun isn't suppose to set. I mean be setting right now. Its too early…"

The sky was a brilliant and dazzling orange-ish pink color. Caty gasped at how beautiful it was and then cussed at how cold it was. She huddled into herself, looking around, "Metallia is drawing energy from the Earth. I can feel it. I'm not even Senshi now and I can feel it…"

"Don't say that, Caty." Ruby said as she fished around in Artemis's backpack. She had salvaged it before they left him and Kamen in the tunnels. She pulled out a compass and a map. She looked around with the compass and then threw it down, "She's giving it off too. It's screwing up the compass. Caty, you are Senshi. Just because you lost the emerald to transform, doesn't mean you can't."

"Oh….wittle ickly Senshi out alone, and one helpless human… hm?" The last two carriers of the sedan chair stood yards away, side by side. Large male youma, arms crossed against a thickly muscled chest. They were twins. They looked so human, but their skin was a yellowish color and their eyes red. They talked in unison, creepy within it self. Caty cringed. She shrunk behind Kunzite, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Ruby, Amethyst, and Sailor Moon stood in front of Caty and Kunzite. One to protect the Crystal, two, to protect a defenseless human. Ruby stood in the middle, her hammer appearing out of nowhere. She pointed it at the youma, "You damn bastards! Go back to hell!"

The youma chuckled as Kunzite dragged Caty back, running back for the shelter of the gates. They had already walked five football field lengths towards where Metellia towered. Caty looked back at her friends. Amethyst's staff spun as she directed a volley of crystal spikes to rain down onto the youma.

Caty shrieked, "Kunzite, let go! We have to help them!" She fought against Kunzite. He stopped, "Woman! You're maddening! They can handle them! DOWN!" He pushed her to the ground and shielded her as Amethyst's crystal shards rained down upon them. Caty struggled under him as he lay on her, "Get off! Kunzite!" She realized something was wrong as she lay in the cold permafrost.

Struggling, she turned her head towards Sailor Moon and Ruby. Amethyst lay on the ground in a heap. Caty screamed as Ruby fell to the ground, "NO! ERIN! LAUREN! Kunzite get off me! Please! Please!" She sobbed pushing at his limp body. She finally rolled out from under him and saw a crystal piecing his back. She moaned, grabbed it and pulling. He whimpered. From there…. Everything went into slow motion.

End Chapter Eleven

It's Near the End


	12. Chapter Twelve

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Twelve

The Nothingness

Sailor Moon fell to her knees as the last youma raised its weapon, preparing to deliver the blow. Everything moved so slowly, like they were all underwater. Caty couldn't even hear any sound. Kunzite lay before her, on the ground, the last of his breath rattling out through his mouth as the Silver Crystal floated above his chest. The Sacrifice. A cooler part of her head chimed in Artemis's voice,

"The Sacrifice. That's why the Queen died on the Moon and didn't reappear on Earth. For the Silver Crystal to actually work the way its suppose to and banish the evil forever, there must be a death. If the Crystal is in a former subject, they will probably have to die for the Crystal to appear. Then, there will have to be another for the Crystal to work."

She opened her mouth, screaming and everything sped up into real time. The youma stopped, looking up at Caty. Sailor Moon grit her teeth and pushed her weapon, the Crescent Moon Wand, up into the youma's middle. The sharp edge of the little wand ripped through his skin, his innards spilling out and hissing onto the cold ground. The youma blinked, opening and closing its mouth and fell to the side. Sailor Moon stood slowly, turning towards Caty. Caty was staring at Kunzites dead body. Her eyes wide. She reached out, her right hand going around the Silver Crystal.

There was a flash as the Antarctic sky turned midnight blue. Darkness made the air colder and Sailor Moon cried out. She ran to where she last saw Caty and Kunzite's body. She tripped over his body and fell. Rolling to her side, she looked around frantically.

"Caty! CATY! Oh no…no, no, no… Don't leave me alone… please don't leave me alone! I'm not ready! I can't do this by myself…" She covered her face, sobbing hysterically. The night pressed around her as, far off, a soft glow of where Metallia gathered energy.

"Please…Please Princess, do not cry."

Sailor Moon gasped and turned. Before her stood Sailor Emerald. But she didn't look like Sailor Emerald. She seemed to stand a little taller, her long crimson red hair hung to her waist and at the bottom it was curled. Her eyes shone with tears, their bright green, even greener. Her uniform was a shining white, the top was the classic senshi fuku, white collar, white feathers replaced the bow and the Silver Crystal sat in the middle. Below her waist, a long skirt that was slit up the front to both her knees, and under that, high heeled boots to her knees. The boots, the collar, and her little crescent moon earrings were silver. In the middle of her forehead, ringed in silver, was a shining deep green emerald.

Sailor Moon stood, wiping her tears away, "Caty?"

Sailor Emerald shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry, Princess… I am so sorry… Catherine is gone now. I am Emerald." Tilting her head to the side, she reached out and wiped a tear from Sailor Moon's cheek gently.

"I know it's hard, Princess. I know." She looked down at Kunzite's body, "My life for yours, Kunzite…" She whispered before turning back to Sailor Moon, "I loved them all too. And they will live on in our hearts. We must, we must, Princess, go and battle."

She took Sailor Moon's hand, smiling softly, "Honor will guide us. Loyalty will be our shield. Love will be our sword." Sailor Moon nodded, becoming serene and full of hope.

* * *

They had to climb up the side of a mountain. To be able to be high enough to actually battle the evil Metallia, they had to climb. Sailor Moon thought it was going to be hard, but it was actually easier. With Sailor Emerald there to help her, they rose to the top of the mountain, the top flat. They stood in the middle, chest high to Metallia. Sailor Emerald, using her telekinesis, sore a boulder the side of Sailor Moon and hurled it to Metallia, hitting her in the shoulder. With the hit, her skin sloughed off in large sheets and fell to the ground. Sailor Moon turned green, but Emerald stood her ground, "METALLIA! You vile and wicked creature bending the hearts of Man with jelousy and destroying hopes and dreams. We, as senshi of this galaxy, are here to enforce the laws of our world and find vengeance for our fallen comrades!"

The laughter the peeled from the former Beryl's body, shook the Earth. The giantess looked down at the senshi, "With what do you stop me? I am pure and undulated evil, my little ones. I am Chaos itself! You can not ever hope to stop me!"

Raising her hands, the ice around the two senshi rose, encasing them. Inside, Emerald pulled the Silver Crystal from her fuku bow and handed it to Sailor Moon, "For our friends." There was a rumble and the ice shattered. Emerald stood in front of Sailor Moon as she stared at her hands. The Crystal like a cold lump of ice.

"Sailor Moon, the Crystal demands a sacrifice to work." Emerald didn't turn, she stared up at the evil queen as she looked down at them, her eyes filled with cold nothingness. Sailor Moon opened her mouth, "But who… no… Emerald, please! I am not ready!"

"You are, Princess, because I believe in you. Because your friends are behind you, even in death. Nothing can stop senshi, Princess."

Emerald, raising her hands above her head, ready for the next blow as Metallia reached down and using one of her finger nails, flicked Emerald like she was a bug. Emerald gasped, her middle opening, blood splattering warmly across Sailor Moon. Emerald held her middle to keep her innards from spilling out like the youma's did that Sailor Moon had killed. Half twisting, she smiled at Sailor Moon and in the same motion, fell off the side of the mountain. Sailor Moon didn't move, because as soon as the blood touched the Crystal, it was white hot in her gloved hands. The hotness burned away her gloves. The power pulsed, but she had to hold on. The power of the Crystal pulsed again, bathing her in the hotness. She felt her clothing burn away. She looked up at Metallia, lifting the Crystal high, "For our friends."

And then, there was light.

And then,

nothingness.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter Thirteen

Full Circle

She jerked upright, awake. She was covered in a cold sweat of fear. What had woken her up? She looked around her dark room, running a hand through her hair. For a moment, she couldn't remember who she was. The room was dark, the curtains opposite her bed moving softly in the night wind. Her hands settled in her lap over cool sheets. Someone stirred beside her and rolled over.

"Cat? Are you ok?"

A male voice asked groggily. He sat up too and flicked on the light by his side of the bed. The light struck dazzling silver, bed mussed hair as light yellowish eyes looked over her. They were lazy with sleep and Catherine stared at him, unable to remember. Why were those eyes so important? And then it hit her. She covered her mouth with both hands and pulled away from the half naked man in her bed. He blinked, waking up a little more, "Caty, are you ok?"

"Oh God… You…what…" She started breathing hard, to the point where she had to throw her legs off the side of the bed and stick her head between her knees. The man moved to rub her back and once his skin touched hers, there was a sharp shock. He pulled back, confused. His eyes went blank for a moment then wide. He opened his mouth, "Holy shit."

Caty shivered, turning back to him, "Kunzite?"

His shoulders hunched, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide as a tremor shook through his body. He grabbed her pulling her into a hug, "I can't believe we forgot that. How… Caty." He buried his face into her shoulder length maroon colored hair. She wrapped her arms around him, "I know, I know. This is unbelievable. I had a nightmare… of… of that last time and… I woke up here. You… You aren't Kunzite now. You're Kane. I'm Caty. Not Emerald and… and…"

In the light she saw it, a small golden medallion the size of a quarter. In the middle sat an emerald star. It was in a fine chain on gold hanging from her dresser mirror.

She stared at it for a second then buried her face into his shoulder as they sat in bed, shaking. The fan whirring in the corner softly. Caty started to sob softly as memories came flooding back. Not only from their first lives together, but of their second. Kane rubbed her back gently.

"It will be ok. This will pass. Don't worry. It's just shock, Caty."

"I know. I just… I can't… What happened to them all? I can't remember them being in my life now. I remember school in America. I remember coming to Japan to study. I remember meeting you. My mom and dad and brother and sister but… not my best friends. Kunz-… Kane. What if they didn't come back?"

"They had to, Cat. They had to have come back." He wiped her tears away with a corner of the sheet and smiled, "Life is too wonderful to just quit on it."

They didn't get back to sleep that night. They were too full of fears and wonderment. What had happened to the other senshi? For that matter, what had happened? Caty remembered up to where she had fallen off the cliff. Kane, as Kunzite, had remembered see Caty's face just before slipping into darkness, feeling colder then the hard ground was.

* * *

They looked in phone books in-between jobs. They couldn't concentrate. Kane worked as a geology expert at a museum. He cataloged and inventoried minerals and stones that came in from digs all over the world. Caty was study for her doctorate in ancient folklore. Her thesis was how Japanese folklore entwined with Native American, African and European folklore. She sat at her desk in the University of Tokyo's offices, staring at the name she's been looking for weeks now. Chiba, Mamoru. The only Mamoru in the Chiba category. Her hands shook as she wrote down the address and phone number then called Kane to tell him the news.

* * *

Meeting in the park where they usually took lunch together, Caty shared her news. She had called Mamoru, setting up this meeting. Kane balanced his weight from foot to foot nervously. Caty sat on a bench, trying to keep her hands still. They sat near the lake that sat in the center of the park. The day was lovely, a late spring and everything was blooming. It had been a nice warm day, Caty removed her jacket and lay it over the back bench. She crossed her arms to make her hands stop shaking. Kane sat beside her on the bench, taking one of her hands, "There isn't anything to be nervous about. We know these people."

Before Caty could respond, a tall man in his early twenties came over a small rise. With him was a young blonde woman. Her hair in a braid down her back. Even from where they sat, Caty and Kane could see they both had sparkling blue eyes. Caty held her breath. There were small differences, but they were still the same. Caty and Kane stood as Usagi and Mamoru came to them. Usagi's eyes looking into Caty's deep green, searching. She seemed to find what she needed and hugged the taller woman. Mamoru shook Kane's hand. Caty and Usagi pulled apart, but still gripped each other by the arms.

"It's amazing. I didn't think anyone else remembered. I had… I need to start at the beginning." She graciously waved Caty and Kane to sit down. They all sat in the warm grass, the cherry blossom trees waving gently above them. Mamoru circled Usagi in his arms as she began.

"After You… I mean Emerald fell off the side of the mountain, the Crystal pulsed and flashed. I passed out from the pain of it. When I woke up, I was on the Moon. In the Prayer Room. I could see the Earth from where I stood. It was wonderful. But then I realized what had happened. I was frightened, unsure if I was dead or alive. I smelled gardenias. Turning, I saw my mother. Well, the Queen. She smiled at me and then told me that I had done what she wasn't able to do. Metallia was destroyed and the Chaos was sealed away. I asked what about my friends. What happened to them. She said you all were fine. For your bravery and loyalty, you all would be reborn. I had a choice."

She looked at Mamoru. He patted her knee, urging her to go on. Usagi nodded. Caty was puzzled.

"I could stay on the Moon and take my rightful place on the throne or return, reborn. You can tell what I chose. Before I left though, I asked if we would remember. She said…only if we had to. Only if we had to, Caty. That frightens me."

Caty looked down at her hands wrapped in Kane's. If they had awaken as senshi, then something bad was about to happen. Or maybe not…

"Usagi… if you were able to take the throne, what if you were to take it now? I remember from the manga from before… they don't have the manga now, I looked. No one had ever heard of Sailor Moon now. We got a clean slate. Now, we have a chance. You are to take the Throne. Is Luna and Artemis…" She let the question hang in the air.

Usagi looked at Caty then smiled, "You know… when my memory came back a few months ago, I went and looked. The shop is still there. I saw them, but I kept away. They looked so happy. I don't know if they remember or not."

Caty nodded. She understood, if they didn't remember, she didn't want them to. What they had been through was horrible. Caty stood up, "We can only deal with what comes. We will wait."

Usagi stood and nodding, taking Caty's hand, "Senshi."

Caty smiled, gripping the younger girl's hand, "Senshi."

End Chapter Thirteen

End Series One

The Crystal Senshi


End file.
